The Bandits of Bennett Circle
by samekraemer
Summary: The quiet neighborhood of Bennett Circle is being terrorized. When Edward Masen becomes the latest victim, he determines he's going to catch the culprits. Who he encounters in his quest isn't at all what he expected. AU/AH/OOC. Canon couples with a few surprises, but nothing too surprising. Rated M. It's a fun ride, I think. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary: **__The residents of Bennett Circle are being terrorized, and none of them have been able to catch the culprits. When they take aim at Edward Masen, he makes it his mission to find them and bring them to justice. What he finds and who he finds isn't anything he ever expected. Oh, and their mother…she's not anyone he ever expected either._

_AU/AH. OOC. Canon couples with a few surprises. Rated M. There's language and there's a lot of fun…well, I hope you have fun._

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_**A/N: Yep…it's me…with another story. Hope you like it.**_

_**SMeyer owns…I don't, I borrow.**_

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1.

As Edward Masen turned onto the cul-de-sac of Bennett Circle, he was singing happily with the radio. The day had been a great one, and in his opinion, nothing could have brought him down from his high. He'd landed a request-for-proposal for a big account that he'd been chasing for months, and he was set to get a nice big bonus from the firm where he worked if he landed it. It would be his first solo client since he'd started, and the euphoria had him happier than he'd been in a long time.

_Splat…splat, splat…splat._ He slammed on the brakes of his new Mercedes before he hit something, and he jumped from his car just in time to see the two little neighborhood villains riding old Huffy bikes for the hills. He had no idea who they were or exactly where they lived, but they'd egged the windshield of his car as he'd casually driven down his street, making him their latest victim in the reign of terror that they'd delivered to the inhabitants of his block.

He'd heard complaints from his neighbors that had begun two weeks prior. Stories of missing yard gnomes, uprooted flower beds, and a painted cat had circulated through the usually docile neighborhood like wildfire. The cat, Pablo, belonged to his next door neighbor, Mrs. Cope, and it was equally as much of a menace to the neighborhood with its digging in the trash and getting stuck in trees, but Edward didn't think the poor thing deserved to be painted day-glo pink and green.

Then again, if he thought about it, it would make it easier to spot in the tree when Mrs. Cope begged him to climb up and get the fucker out of whatever neighborhood tree it had climbed. If Mrs. Cope's chocolate chip cookies weren't so damn good, Edward would have pretended he wasn't at home when she knocked.

No one on Bennett Circle had been able to catch the boys in the act because they seemed to strike when everyone was otherwise occupied, and none of the neighbors knew where they lived because they were quite cagey with their getaways, but Edward was pretty sure that his neighbors were taking up a collection to offer a reward for the whereabouts or capture of the little bandits.

He turned on the wipers of the Mercedes and squirted fluid on the windshield before the mess dried and became like paint, and when he could see reasonably well, he turned around and slowly drove around the neighborhood looking for any sign of the boys or their bikes. He didn't know exactly for who he was looking, but any boy between the ages of eight and twelve was fair game for the interrogation he planned to conduct.

He circled the neighboring blocks for an hour, and when it started to get dark, he gave up his search and went home. He pulled into his driveway, parked his car, and got out to survey the damage. It was a huge fucking mess, and he knew if he didn't get it off soon, it would take hours of scrubbing to remove the offending residue. Edward walked over to the side of his house to grab the garden hose when he noticed his neighbors, Emmett and Rosalie McCarty, carrying out a large area rug and dropping it at the curb.

He was certain that everyone in the neighborhood heard Rosalie's tirade, but he had to know what had her so worked up that afternoon. "Hey, what's with the rug?" he called as he turned on the hose and began spraying off as much of the mess as he could while it was still fresh. He knew he'd have to clean the driveway after he was finished with his mission, but his new car was his baby, and he didn't want it to sit with egg goo all over it overnight.

"Those little bastards. I swear, when I figure out who they belong to, I'm gonna beat somebody's ass. If you can't keep your kids in line, you have no business having them," Rosalie yelled. Edward noticed her husband, Emmett, laughing behind her as the two of them walked over into his yard.

"Damn, they got your car but good. I haven't egged a car since I was about fourteen. It was the principal at my high school who suspended me because I'd gone into the girls' locker room with a camera to get some shots for the school paper, or so I told everyone. I believe I proved my point about making me stay home from school for two days wasn't exactly the best punishment to levy. Anyway, the Bennett Circle Bandits put duct tape over our dog door today, and Brutus couldn't get out of the house to do his business. He shit all over the dining room. That was the rug from under our table. I told Rosie to be nicer to him," Emmett related with a smirk on his face.

"Hell, you're a cop, why can't you catch 'em?" Edward asked smugly.

"Seriously? Until this shit…pun intended…hit my yard, I thought it was funny and not worth my time," Emmett answered as he looked at his watch.

Edward could see Emmett's wife was fuming mad, so he decided against teasing her about the loss of the rug because he'd witnessed her explosive behavior on more than one occasion, and he certainly didn't want her wrath misdirected at him instead of the cause for all of the consternation that afternoon…the bandits. "Yeah, well, I tried to find 'em, but they disappeared between the Newton's and the Mallory's. I think we need to have a block meeting to see if anyone else has seen which direction they go when they take off. Someone's going to be responsible for painting my car if this egg shit does any damage," Edward lamented to his neighbors.

"As the block president, I'll set it up. I'll also call the other block presidents on Abingdon Place and Cameron Run. Maybe they know something about it," Rosalie determined. The three chatted for a few more minutes and then the couple went inside their house, leaving him to consider the fact that the egg mess wasn't going to rinse away as he'd hoped.

He went to his garage, grabbing a bucket and a sponge to wash the car with soap, hoping that he'd at least removed most of it. Once it was as clean as he could get it by the flood light over the garage door, he picked up the broken egg shells and went inside to fix something for dinner and work for a while on the new advertising strategy that he was formulating for his new client.

At 10:00 PM, there was a knock on the front door, and as he looked out the window of his study, he saw Mrs. Cope pacing with a plate in her hands which meant that the nomadic cat, Pablo, was on the loose again. He sighed and slipped on his flip flops before he went to answer the knock, knowing that he would be climbing a ladder in a yard somewhere on the block within a few minutes.

"Mrs. Cope? He's gone again?" he asked, dreading her answer.

Mrs. Cope thrust the plate of cookies at her handsome young neighbor and smiled at him, quite happy that he was such an agreeable fellow. "He is, but I've narrowed down his whereabouts. He's over on Abingdon Place in the big oak tree in the Harmon's old yard. I walked the neighborhood calling out to him, and found him over there. I've got an extension ladder in my garage if that will help. I think he's up too high to climb the tree," she offered. Edward took the cookies and put them on the table by the front door and grabbed his keys, mentally cursing his parents for instilling a strong sense of empathy in him during his formative years.

He crossed his yard and went into Mrs. Cope's garage to grab the ladder, following her to the Harmon's old house on the next block. All of the lights were on inside the house, which surprised him because he didn't know that anyone had moved into the house.

As the pair approached the yard, Edward could see a woman lying on the ground with two tall men standing there looking down at her. One of the men reached out a foot and appeared to kick her on the hip, and then the other guy actually picked her up from the ground.

To Edward's untrained eye, the woman didn't appear to be unconscious, but she certainly did appear to be in pain based on the sounds she was making. Mrs. Cope and he walked faster until they reached the yard where he was met with the sight of what he'd spent an hour seeking earlier in the evening. He believed it was the Bennett Circle Bandits, as the boys had been aptly named, and the woman standing there with them appeared to be their mother. Swift justice was about to be served, Masen style.

##

"_Finally_! You guys were supposed to be cleaning that crap out of the garage. Where'd you take off to, yet again?" Bella Uley demanded when her two sons came tearing into the garage on their bikes. She noticed that both of them looked worried, and Jared, the younger twin by three minutes, kept glancing toward the street which led his mother to believe that they'd definitely been up to no good.

The oldest, Jacob, quickly shut the garage door, leaving the three of them standing amidst the remaining unpacked boxes and all of the plunder that the boys had brought with them when they moved across town. She noticed two yard gnomes in the corner of the garage that weren't there the last time she was in the structure, but she was actually afraid to ask from where they'd come.

"Aw, Ma, this is all good stuff in here. If we get rid of it, what are we gonna do when we need it?" Jake whined. It wasn't something that Bella was unaccustomed to hearing from her sons. She quickly scanned the garage and noticed that there were two bikes and two pieces of bikes, which the boys had claimed they were using for parts though she was at a loss as to why. There were two skateboards, various balls of all types, bats, football pads, broken toys, and God only knew what else amidst the sea of unpacked boxes.

She didn't like to admit it, but she wasn't exactly the disciplinarian that she should have been, so it wasn't a surprise that they didn't listen to her when she'd instructed them to clean out the garage after their grandmother dropped them at home from school. Having eleven-year old twins was going to make her gray before she even hit thirty-one, in her opinion.

"I don't care what arguments you have for getting rid of all of this crap. We've only been in this house for two weeks, and you guys brought all of that junk with you when we moved. We're not starting out like that in _this_ house. Where were you, by the way? I've been calling you for an hour," Bella complained.

The boys looked at each other, and their mother could tell that she wasn't going to get a straight answer. Every day since the family had moved into the new house on Abingdon Place, the boys had disappeared right after Bella's mother dropped them off in the afternoon and only reappeared when the grumbling in their stomachs became unbearable. Their excuse for their absences was always that they were exploring the new neighborhood and meeting other kids. Bella highly doubted it, but she didn't have the energy to fight them that evening.

"Fine, lie to me. Dinner, homework, showers, and bed. No arguments, or you won't play on Saturday, got it?" she threatened. It was the only real leverage she had at her disposal to get her sons to fall in line. She was going to miss the upper hand when soccer season was over, but fall brought football, so she was hoping that she'd be able to use it to her advantage for the school year. All she had to do was figure out how to get through the summer.

The family ate dinner, and Bella helped them with homework as she cleaned up the dinner dishes and folded laundry. After the twins had finished their homework, they went to shower without argument, for once, and while they were busy, their mother went into the "pits," as she referred to their rooms, and pulled out more dirty laundry.

"Of course," she remarked out loud to herself as she discovered that the hampers in their rooms were empty because all of their dirty clothes were on the floor. How they couldn't take the extra two steps to put their dirty shirts, shorts, or socks into the hampers was one of life's great mysteries to her, but it wasn't something with which she was unfamiliar because their father, to whom Bella had been married for three years before the couple threw in the towel, was extremely slovenly. That had been a major complaint in their brief marriage. It wasn't the reason they finally divorced, but on her list of top ten's, it was in the top five.

Once her sons were finally settled into their rooms that night, Bella sat down with the bills to work her magic of staying one-step ahead of the bill collectors. She made a decent salary at her job, and the child support she received from the boys' father helped, but it was still expensive to feed and clothe them. With the two boys growing like weeds, it seemed like she was buying new clothes for them every week. She didn't even really want to consider the amount of money it took to feed the pair on a weekly basis.

She was eternally grateful for taking a medical transcription course at the community college while she was still married to Sam. The couple's financial status, or really, lack of one, allowed her to attend the classes for free. She was grateful that she had a skill to cobble out a career to take care of her family that didn't require her to wait tables or compromise her morals.

As she was about to play _eenie-meenie-minie-moe_ with the electric and the phone bill, Jared flew into the kitchen, surprising the hell out of her. "Mom, there's somebody outside screaming," he told her with a look of panic on his face. Bella walked into the living room and heard exactly to what he was referring.

She went to the front door and turned on the porch light, looking around for anyone in pain because the sound was so horrible that she determined someone had to be mortally wounded. She happened to glance up in the huge oak in the yard where the sound seemed to be located, and she immediately saw the culprit.

A cat, which appeared to be painted pink and green, was high up the tree and apparently, it couldn't get down. The only way Bella even noticed it amidst all of the leaves was because it actually glowed in the street light.

"Dammit. It's a cat. Get me the step ladder from the garage, Jacob," Bella called as she slipped on shoes and a sweater to go outside. Jacob ambled into the garage and plodded back out with the tall stepladder that her father, Charlie, had dropped off earlier to clean her gutters.

She placed it against the tree and started to climb. "Uh, Ma, I think you better let me go. You'll fall," Jake responded sarcastically. She chuckled, thinking he was probably right in his assessment, but if either of them were going to get hurt that night, it was going to be Bella and not her eleven-year old son.

"Just hold the ladder and the sarcasm," she instructed as she began her ascent of the ladder in an attempt to retrieve the animal. When she was nearly at the branch where the cat was completely freaking out, back arched up hissing at her as if she was planning to set it on fire, she reached out to grab it.

Suddenly, the animal seemed to decide that it knew how to get down…it was going to cling to her shirt, claws digging into her chest and hanging on tightly. Of course, being the balance-challenged woman that she was, she lost her footing and slid down a few rungs before she fell off the ladder completely, landing on her back with her left arm painfully wrenched behind her. Thankfully, the cat released her flesh and hopped off her chest as she lie on the ground with her eyes closed for a moment having had the wind knocked out of her.

"Think she's dead?" Jared asked his brother. Bella felt a shoe nudge her and opened her eyes to see Jared standing next to her gently kicking her hip with his bare foot. She tried to sit up and the pain set in immediately causing her to shriek.

"FUUUCCCKKK," she swore. The pain was so intense that tears immediately sprang into her eyes. She rolled onto her right side and pulled her arm from behind her, knowing that she'd done something horrible to it.

"Mom, you're not s'posed to swear. We get our mouths washed out for it," Jared reprimanded as he held out a hand to help his mother up. Jacob moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up without much effort which surprised her.

It really shouldn't have been a surprise because both boys were very much like their father…tall, dark, and would eventually become very handsome. She was pretty certain they were both going to be ladies' men, much like Sam, and she was going to make damn sure that they didn't make the mistakes that she and Sam had at such a young age.

Bella met Sam when she was working at a sporting goods' store during her senior year of high school. She was shy, and God knew, he was good looking. He was working for a construction company at the time and had stopped in to buy some waterproof coveralls. The two started talking, and Sam asked her out for dinner and a movie. She went, and they began a relationship that got pretty heated, pretty quickly.

Six months into the first serious relationship of her young life, Bella found herself pregnant with twins. The couple wasn't in love, but between the families, it was decided that they _were_ going to get married, so they did without much argument. They lasted three years before they just couldn't do it any longer, but as far as she was concerned, there was no malice between them.

That had been eight years earlier, and miraculously, they'd been able to remain friends and co-parent their sons until Sam had to move to Alaska to take a job. He'd remarried, and he'd even offered to take the boys with him, but they were the center of Bella's universe so she put my foot down that they were staying with her.

Sam called the boys as often as he could, but he wasn't able to see them on a regular basis, the last time being a year earlier when he and his wife, Emily, came to Washington to visit his family. He took the boys to his mother's for a week, and while they were gone, Bella was a lonely mess. Without her boys, she truly had no life.

"Lady, are you okay?" she heard called her way as a man and an older woman approached the yard with an extension ladder between them. The lady reached down and picked up the cat, holding it to her chin and whispering to it as if it would understand the scolding she was obviously giving it. If she didn't have her boys, Bella was pretty sure she'd be doing the same thing at some point in time.

"I've hurt my shoulder. I think I need to call my mom to take me to the…excuse me, but who are you?" she asked nervously. The man didn't look familiar to her, but the family had just moved into the house two weeks prior, so it really wasn't a surprising revelation.

Bella felt blessed at having been lucky enough to find the two-story, Cape Cod-style house that was in a better school district and neighborhood without having to spend any more money than she was paying at the small two bedroom apartment she and her sons shared on the other side of town. She still had to drive the boys across town to their old school, but there were only a few more weeks of the school year left, so it was a small trade-off for the prospect of the better school in the fall. The old school was on her way to work anyway, so it really wasn't anything unmanageable.

"I'm Edward Masen and this is Mrs. Cope. We were just coming to get her cat out of your tree. Um, maybe you should call someone to come take you to the hospital. I'd guess that you've dislocated it," Edward informed her.

"I'm Bella Uley, and these are my sons, Jared and Jacob," she introduced awkwardly. She saw the man giving the boys the once over, and as much as she wanted to know why, she decided that she needed to get her arm looked at more than she needed to satisfy her curiosity regarding his scrutiny.

"Um, maybe we can get better acquainted another time when I'm not about ready to shoot myself in the foot with a nail gun so I can forget the pain in my shoulder. We just moved here a few weeks ago, so we don't really know anyone, but um, maybe another time would be better," she suggested.

"Yes, we definitely need to talk. I'll drop by another time now that I know where _they_ live," the man responded cryptically. Everyone said good-bye and then Bella went inside to call her mother to come take her to the hospital. She knew her dad was on duty, so she was going to have to rely on her mother, Renee, unfortunately. It wasn't a secret in the Swan/Uley family that her mother wasn't the best night driver on the planet.

An hour later, Bella was sitting in the ER with her mother while her father dropped by her house to check on the boys and ensure that they went back to bed.

The women were sitting behind a curtain, the injured party on a gurney with her less-than-stellar chauffer, Renee, in a chair next to her. "What on earth made you climb a tree to rescue a cat?" Renee asked quizzically, feeling it was a good question given her daughter's uneasy history with balance.

"It was shrieking like a banshee, and I climbed a ladder, Mom, not a tree. The boys were scared, so I had to do something about it, or we'd never get to sleep tonight. What would you suggest I do, pull out a BB gun and shoot the damn thing out of the tree?" Bella asked feeling the pain pill beginning to take effect. She certainly wasn't going to bitch about _that_…because, in her opinion, the pain was worse than child birth.

Carlisle Cullen, her boss and personal angel of mercy, breezed behind the curtain with his usual good looks and a bright smile on his face. "Well, well, well. My favorite patient, yet _again_. What happened _this_ time?" he asked with a lot of sarcasm in his voice. Bella determined that if she didn't like the guy so much, she'd have decked him with her good hand.

"I fell off a ladder after getting attacked by a cat in a tree. Can we just get on with this?" she asked impatiently. She wanted to be home in her bed, though, when she thought about it, she wasn't sure that she'd be any more comfortable there. At least some of the pain was subsiding.

"You, my friend, have no business climbing a ladder. Now, we're going to send you to x-ray and see what, exactly, you've done. Then we'll know how to proceed. How bad does it hurt, one to ten," Carlisle asked as he shined the small penlight into her eyes for likely the hundredth time since she'd first encountered him in the emergency room years prior. She knew that Carlisle knew her medical history better than she did.

"Right now…six. Half hour ago…twenty," she answered, feeling a little loopy. Carlisle laughed at her assessment and left the room.

Forty-five minutes later, Bella was back behind the curtain in the ER waiting for the x-rays to be read and the verdict to be delivered. Carlisle strolled back in and shoved the film onto the light board flipping on the switch. "Right here. You did it up right this time, Bella. Four separate fractures. If you weren't as young as you are, I'd suggest surgery, but I think it'll be fine. We're going to give you a sling, and then I'm going to send you to Port Angeles to an ortho next week. You don't do anything half-assed," he teased as he pointed out each separate fracture.

She looked at her mother who had a brace on her wrist, having fallen down the stairs at Bella's old apartment building when her mom and dad were helping her move. She didn't have to wonder from where she got the klutz gene. Her mother could make fun of her all she wanted for falling off that ladder, but Bella was convinced that she got her grace…or lack thereof… from her mother, hands down.

Unfortunately, between the two of them, they only had two good arms after the sling was in place. Not the best case scenario, in Bella's opinion. She silently prayed that her mother wasn't still consuming those pain pills she'd been prescribed because she was their ride home.

After a quick discussion with a frazzled nurse, the women walked out into the bright hallway to see Carlisle standing by the nurses' station with what she assumed was her chart, based on its size. He was talking to a very, very good-looking guy, and they were both laughing. Said good-looking guy was dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and _man_, did he look good, in her opinion. She reasoned with herself that she could have been slightly impaired with the pain medication coursing through her system, but the man looked like the most gorgeous guy she'd ever seen in her life.

"Ah, here they are. So, Bella, I believe you know Edward?" Carlisle asked as he closed the chart and handed it to a nurse.

"_Edward? Do I know Edward? Surely, I would have remembered meeting Edward_," she quickly thought.

"She, uh, had just fallen out of the tree when I introduced myself. We happen to live a street apart. I was on my way to get Mrs. Cope's cat out of her tree when I happened upon her and her sons in the yard. How bad was it? Dislocated?" Edward asked.

"_Oh, that Edward. He certainly looks better in the light than he did in the dark," _she thought_._

"Fractured in four spots. I'm Renee, Bella's mother. It's nice to meet you. So, is your wife with you?" her mom asked quickly.

"Very subtle, Mom. Sorry I didn't recognize you, Mr. Masen. It wasn't the best circumstances for an introduction," Bella responded, feeling her face flush.

"Edward is Esme's brother. So, that's where you moved, Piney Woods? That's a nice area," Carlisle remarked to Bella. She was still stuck at the part where the handsome man standing in front of her was Esme Cullen's brother.

She had been working for Carlisle for a little over five years. She knew his wife and his daughter, but she didn't know anyone else in their family. Aside from seeing them when they came into the office or seeing Carlisle during her all-to-frequent visits to the emergency room, she didn't socialize with her boss and his family.

"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you again, Mr. Masen. Mom, I really need to get home before I pass out right here and do more damage to myself. Dad needs to get back to work, and if I know my sons, they've got him watching some stupid video instead of going to bed like they were supposed to. They've got a soccer game in the morning, and they'll both be too tired to play," Bella urged, eager to get away from the scrutiny of Edward Masen. She felt like he hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she'd stopped to speak to Carlisle.

"How _are_ those guys? I guess I won't see them again until physical time in August," Carlisle asked. Bella noticed that Edward seemed to smirk at Carlisle's mention of her sons, and she wondered what _that_ look meant.

"Um, yeah. Their dad is supposed to come down for a week after school is out for the summer and take them to visit their grandparents. Hopefully, they won't have a reason to see you before August," Bella responded groggily.

"I really need to talk to you about your sons, Mrs. Uley. Right now might not be the best time, but when would?" Edward asked curtly. She had no idea to what he was referring, but whatever it was, he needed to say it fast because she was about two steps away from passing out.

Without waiting for his answer, nor offering him one in return, she began making her way to the sliding door at the Emergency entrance to get to the car. Suddenly, she felt her knees get wobbly, and then they buckled beneath her. Before she hit the floor, she was out cold.

##

Curiosity simply got the best of Edward Masen late that Friday night. He knew for a fact that there was only one hospital in town, so he drove there to check on the woman he'd briefly met earlier in the evening.

From what he could tell in the dim light from her porch and the dusk-to-dawn lights that lined the street, she was a pretty girl, and she really looked like she was in a lot of pain. He justified his unusual behavior as being a good neighbor as he turned into the parking lot of the hospital.

He strolled into the ER and found his brother-in-law, Carlisle, standing at the nurses' station and writing on a rather thick hospital chart. "Hey, Carlisle. How's it going?" he asked nonchalantly. Carlisle looked up from his instructions, appearing quite surprised and quickly looked down at his watch.

"What brings you here at 11:00 PM on a Friday night? No date?" Carlisle teased. He was aware that Edward was on a dating embargo since Becca and he had called it quits, once and for all.

The on-again, off-again nature of the friends-with-benefits arrangement that Edward had bartered with an old college friend had lasted one year before it reached its end with the pair no longer friends, nor were they engaging in any benefits of any kind.

After some soul searching, Edward decided to take some time to step back and re-evaluate his priorities. He was currently a year into his soul-searching expedition, having not reached any conclusions, but he determined that until he had a better handle on what he actually wanted for his future, it was better to be alone than be a party to yet another meaningless relationship.

At twenty-four, he wasn't actively looking to settle down, but he was certain that if the right girl came along, he would probably give it some serious consideration, which was the reason he wasn't dating. He actually wasn't _ready_ to take it into consideration.

"I'm here because of Bella Uley. She's new to the neighborhood, and I actually met her just after she fell out of the tree. I guess I was kind of worried about her because she looked like she took a pretty good spill. So, how is she?" he asked nonchalantly as he leaned against the desk.

"Well, you can ask her yourself because there they are. So, Bella, I believe you know Edward," Carlisle commented with a smirk on his face when he looked in Edward's direction.

Seeing her in the humming fluorescent lights of the hospital corridor, Edward could see that she was much more than just _pretty_. She was gorgeous. And, she was absolutely out of it. He saw her swaying on her feet, and he was afraid that she was going to pass out on the spot.

The group spoke a few minutes longer…Edward taking the opportunity to remind himself the real reason for seeking her out was to discuss the two fugitives she was harboring and not to get a handle on her relationship status. Just as Bella and her mother…who had actually quizzed him about a wife in the first fifteen seconds of their meeting…were leaving, Edward could see Bella sway a little, and he knew she was going down.

He quickly caught her before she hit the hard hospital tile and picked her up being mindful of her arm, and he turned to Carlisle, seeing him look as if he'd expected it. "Can she leave?" Edward asked his brother-in-law with an added eye roll for good measure.

Her mother had already left the building to go get the car, Edward assumed, and clearly the unconscious woman in his arms couldn't maneuver on her own.

"Yeah. Um, you might want to help her inside her house because her mother has a brace on her wrist from where she broke it two weeks ago. I'm not sure how she'd get Bella inside," Carlisle volunteered. Edward nodded in understanding and carried the small brunette outside to the car that was waiting at the curb.

Her mother opened the passenger door, and he gently placed Bella in the seat, buckling the seatbelt around her. He looked at her mother and said, "Give me the prescription, and I'll stop and get it filled. I won't be long behind you, and I'll get Bella into the house when I get there." Without question, the woman nodded in affirmation and drove away.

Edward stopped by the twenty-four hour pharmacy in the neighborhood and had the prescription for Vicodin filled after lying to the pharmacist that the person for whom the prescription was written was his wife, and then he went to the Uley house on Abingdon Place, finding a semi-coherent Bella and her mother actually arguing in the car. He was relieved that the woman was awake.

"…I don't need a man in my life. I'm doing just fine on my own, thank you," he heard Bella complain.

"Baby girl, I hate to break this to you, but _you_ need a man in your life more than_ I_ do. You need a role-model for those boys, and you need a man to climb a ladder to scare a cat instead of you. You can't do everything by yourself, and your dad and I aren't getting any younger," her mom replied. Edward cleared his throat as he walked over to the open passenger side door, picking up the beautiful woman from the seat without a word.

"Ouch! What the hell are you doing?" Bella asked him as her eyes blinked quickly.

"Sorry. I got your prescription filled, and I'm going to take you inside because between your shoulder and the pain pills, I don't think you should be trying to get around without help. Now, point the way," Edward demanded as he carried her up on her porch and waited while her mother opened the front door.

The three walked into the living room, finding a man who Edward assumed was Bella's father asleep on the couch and the desperados nowhere in sight. Her mother woke her father, who surprisingly was a cop, and she whispered to Edward, "Bella's room is at the end of the hall upstairs. Thanks for helping." With that bit of instruction, Edward observed her parents wasting no time in leaving the premises.

He glanced down to see that Bella was asleep again, so he followed her mother's directions and carried her upstairs to the room at the end of the hall. He gently placed her on the bed which he found with the aid of a night light, and he covered her with a blanket at the end of her bed after he slipped off her shoes. He set the prescription bottle on the bedside table and went back downstairs to leave.

He looked around her house a little, seeing that she wasn't exactly unpacked, but what he could see was that she appeared to have nice things. As he stood in her living room covertly taking in the sights, it occurred to him that her mother had no problem leaving her daughter and grandsons at the mercy of a stranger, and he wondered exactly what kind of people they were. Her mother had spoken to him for all of about two minutes, yet she didn't hesitate to get the hell out of the house, taking the cop with her and leaving him there alone.

He wondered if he should wake her sons and explain to them exactly who he was and what had happened with regard their mom's hospital visit, but from what he remembered, they were pretty big kids and he was a stranger who didn't really relish the idea of getting his ass kicked at midnight in a virtual stranger's home. He decided that they'd figure it out in the morning, and he went through the house to shut off lights, leaving on one in the kitchen in case anyone came downstairs.

As he was about to leave, it occurred to Edward that the woman didn't have any way to get the lid off the pill bottle, nor did he leave her any water to take a pain pill if she woke up before her sons. He didn't feel comfortable that she'd be able to get up on her own and get to her bathroom, and he seriously doubted that her kids would wake up if she called out in the night.

He determined he needed help because Bella Uley didn't really know him from anyone, and after all, it really wasn't his place to help her but her own parents hadn't hung around so he was at a loss of what to do with regard to the conundrum.

He pulled out his cell phone and called the only person who came to mind…his sister. He briefly thought about contacting Rosalie McCarty but quickly dismissed it because he assumed that if Rosalie figured out that the boys sleeping upstairs were the same ones who'd caused her to lose her favorite area rug, he was sure she'd go ape shit.

After another moment's thought, he didn't see that he really had a choice in the matter, so he hit the call button and was glad that his sister was a night owl when she answered on the second ring. "Edward? What's wrong?"

Esme Cullen was substantially older than her younger brother because their parents had Esme when they were young, and they never thought they'd have another child. There were twenty years between the siblings, and from what Edward had been told his entire life, he was a complete surprise. His parents never made him feel like he was an _unwanted_ surprise, but they were always adamant that he was most certainly a surprise.

"Um, I've got a bit of a situation here. See, Bella Uley fell out of a tree and fractured her shoulder, and well, I just met her this evening but I'm here at her house. It's a really long story, but I'm afraid that if she wakes up and finds me here, she'll have my ass arrested for trespassing or breaking and entering. She's pretty hopped up on painkillers, and I'm afraid that if she tries to get up by herself, she'll get hurt again. Would you consider coming over? Carlisle seems to know her pretty well," Edward explained with fingers crossed.

"Bella actually works for him. Um, yeah, give me the address because I know she recently moved. I'll come help you out," Esme called over the line like the good sister Edward knew her to be. He walked out the front door to get the house number from the porch, giving it to her quickly, and then turning on the front porch light after the two hung up.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a soft knock on the front door of the Uley home. Edward opened it to find Esme and his niece, Alice, standing there in their pajamas with bags in their hands. "You owe me a lengthy explanation for this," Esme whispered. He had no doubt about that.

"I know. Look, she's asleep upstairs. It's the last room on the hallway. I believe her sons are asleep as well. Her parents just took off when we got back here. I didn't know what to do," he explained.

Alice chuckled. "Florence Nightingale suits you. Never fear. I know Jacob and Jared Uley, and I'll be happy to help them out. You're coming back in the morning, right?" she asked.

"I, uh, hadn't planned on it," Edward answered having determined that his obligation to the family was fulfilled.

"Oh, he won't need to come back because he's not leaving. You're going to have to be here to help me explain this sudden invasion of her privacy, little brother. Bella's a very private person, and I'm sure she's not going to appreciate finding near-strangers here in her home when she wakes, so you're staying. Now, I'll go upstairs and check on her. Alice, see if you can find us some blankets and pillows. You and I can sleep on the couch and Edward, you can have the floor," Esme announced authoritatively. Edward hated to admit it, but he was actually afraid of his older sister, and if she was demanding that he stay the night, he was pretty sure he wasn't going anywhere.

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_**E/N: Thanks for reading…xoxo**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Happy to see interest in this one. It's really a fun story…or so I believe. I love the relationships that are established, and while I won't guarantee that I channeled 11-year-old boys well, I hope I did it justice. I really hope that if you like it, you'll spread the word.**_

_**SMeyer owns Twilight…I own this story, but would never infringe.**_

_**Enjoy…**_

_**\\\**_

2.

"Oww!" Edward heard called from upstairs. He lifted his head to see that Alice and Esme were most certainly asleep, and since he'd already awakened them to rescue him…which didn't really work out the way he'd planned…he got up from the floor and quietly walked upstairs. He went to Bella's room and found her attempting to get out of bed. Luckily, Esme had left on a small light so he didn't fall over anything on his way to her bedside.

He picked up the bottle of pills and poured one in his hand as he sat down next to her on the bed. Her eyes shot open, and for a moment, she looked petrified. "Don't worry. I come in peace. Edward, remember? Anyway, open," he ordered as he held the pill up in front of her. She did as he asked, and then he held up the glass of water with the straw that Esme had left on the table, watching her take a healthy gulp from it.

Once she'd swallowed, she settled back a little, but the pain was evident on her face. "You want another pillow or something?" he asked quietly. She nodded so he reached to the other side of the bed and grabbed the other pillow that rested there. Bella tried to sit up, but he could see it wasn't going to happen without help, so he gently wrapped his arms around her waist, mindful of her shoulder, and then he tucked the pillow behind her. He gently eased her back against it and saw a small smile on her face.

"Why are you here, by the way? I mean, I've talked to you for about six minutes, and honestly, I only remember about one minute of it. Did you have a run-in with my dad and this is your sentence?" Bella asked him, causing him to chuckle. In his opinion, she had a pretty good sense of humor, especially for someone in pain.

"Call me a Good Samaritan. Anyway, my sister and niece are here as well, so if you need anything, just yell. I'll be downstairs as well," he offered in what he hoped was a comforting tone.

"Crap, how am I gonna…where are my parents?" she asked.

"Um, they left when I brought you up here. You need anything else?" he deflected because he didn't really wanting to broach the subject of her parents' disappearing act. She shook her head 'no' and closed her eyes. He left the room and went back downstairs, settling into his uncomfortable spot on the floor, all the while thinking of his comfortable bed a block away and wondering why in the fuck he wasn't in it.

##

"Who the hell are these people?" Edward heard one of the amateur gangsters ask. He kept his eyes closed to see what they'd come up with on their own.

"Well, that's Alice Cullen, Doc Cullen's daughter, and I think that's her mom. He's the guy from last night with the cat and…oh, _shit_! We're screwed. He's the guy whose car we egged yesterday," the other one deduced.

"We need to get the hell out of here," one said. Edward heard them scrambling, and he hopped up and grabbed them each by the back of the shirt just as they were almost out the front door.

"Gentlemen, let's talk," he ordered menacingly as he herded the pair into the kitchen of their home. He pushed one into one chair and the other one into a chair across from him and then he leaned against the sink and crossed his arms over his chest, ready to do battle with the two nuisances to the residents on Bennett Circle.

"Who's Jacob and who's Jared?" Edward asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"I'm Jared. Jake's got longer hair and a scar on his chin," Felon One explained.

"I'm Edward Masen, the guy whose car you egged yesterday. What the hell is up with all of the crap you two have been doing over in our neighborhood? You painted my neighbor's cat, for Christ's sake. I'm sure you recognized it last night when it came out of that tree," Edward reminded.

"Dude, the paint is non-toxic. All the old lady has to do is put the cat out in the rain, and it'll come clean," Jacob answered.

"_Well, at least Pablo isn't going to meet an early demise…unfortunately_," Edward thought.

"Yeah, guess what, guys? As soon as your mom is up to hearing about it, I'm telling her everything that's been going on over on my street. You've been terrorizing my neighborhood for a week, and that shit is going to stop. I'm not sure what the hell to do with you. I oughta call the cops and have you two little delinquents picked up for vandalism," he threatened.

He saw them both swallow, and he was happy to have the upper hand. "Dude, we're the product of a broken home, okay? Mom works until six, and we get outta school at three. We get bored. We never wanted to move here, but she didn't really give us a choice," Felon Two offered as their lame ass defense.

"Well, my folks moved to London and I had to get my ass out of their house, so we don't always get a say in shit, now do we? What you guys are doing is completely unacceptable. How do you think you should make it up to me and my neighbors? Those flowers you dug up or trampled or whatever, those were Mrs. Sohn's pride and joy. They're all dead now, and she's gonna have to start from scratch on her flower garden. Mr. Hamm's garden gnomes? Those were his mother's from when he was a kid. Did you bust them up?" Edward snapped, having determined that their little plea of victimhood would garner them no sympathy from him.

"No, they're in our garage. We were going to paint 'em and put 'em back…you know, like a gift," Jacob replied.

"We were?" Jared asked. Obviously, they didn't have that twin thing going on that one of them knew what the other one was thinking because, in Edward's opinion, Jared appeared just as surprised at the statement as he was sure he did.

"Yeah, I believe that like I believe Jennifer Lopez is going to show up at my front door with whipped cream and…um, never mind. That's bullshit. I'm not sure how you're mom's going to feel about this, but I think you two need to learn a lesson. You're going to make up for all the shit you did on my street," he warned the pair.

He saw them look between each other, and he could tell that they didn't like his idea of restitution which was exactly the moment he fell in love with it. He just hoped their mother went along with it once all of the facts were presented.

##

"Think she's gonna go to the game? She's our ride," Bella heard Jared ask someone, probably Jake.

"I don't know if she's gonna come to anytime soon. I guess I could call Coach Clapp and ask him to pick us up. We'll leave her a note. Come on, I smell bacon," she heard Jake announce. She opened her eyes and saw the two of them walking out of the bedroom door, pulling it closed behind them. She got up from the bed…slowly…and went to the bathroom which wasn't an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination, being that one arm was in a sling.

After her morning business was concluded, she washed her hand, which also wasn't easy, and assessed the damage in the mirror looking back at her. Oh, it wasn't pretty at all. She attempted to pull a comb through her hair but determined that it was simply no use. She wondered how the hell she was going to shower because nothing…absolutely nothing…was going to keep her from her sons' last soccer game of the season. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Bella? Are you okay?" she heard the velvet voice of Edward Masen call through the door. She was still at a loss of what the hell he was doing at her house because she barely remembered her interaction with him, but she did remember he was quite good looking.

She opened the door and took in his appearance. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, and his hair was wet which led her to believe that somewhere along the way he'd showered. "Edward, you don't have to stay and help. You've already done too much for complete strangers," she said swaying slightly and suddenly feeling light headed. He grabbed her hips and moved her back to sit on the side of the tub.

"My niece, Alice, is here. She came over last night with my sister. Esme made the boys breakfast, and yours is in the oven warming. Alice said she'd come up and help you shower and dress, if you need the help," he replied with a sexy smirk on his face, knowing damn well that she'd need the help.

He held out his hand and had one of the miracle pills in it and a bottle of water was quickly produced from the pocket of his jeans. "_The hot guy is a magician, no doubt about it,_" she thought. She took the pill and a large drink of the water and thought about what he'd said. In her drug-induced state, she truly saw nothing wrong with _him_ helping her in the shower which led her to believe that she needed to wean herself off of the pain pills in order to keep from daydreaming about such things. In her opinion, Edward Masen was definitely daydream worthy.

"Why are you here again?" she asked after she'd swallowed the pill.

"I need to talk to you about your sons. I don't know if you're aware, but for the last week, they've been terrorizing our neighborhood. They painted my neighbor's cat pink and green. They dug up a flower bed of one of my elderly neighbors. They duct taped the McCarty's dog door closed so that their English bulldog couldn't go outside to do his business which caused him to do it in the house, thus costing them a very expensive rug. They stole an elderly man's garden gnomes, and yesterday, they egged my car as I drove down the street on my way home. Something has to be done before one of my neighbor's calls the cops," he explained to her.

Bella knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her sons weren't angels. The loss of her security deposit at the apartment was definitely enough to enlighten her that she didn't live in the fantasy world where they were perfect. She'd tried to guide them and teach them right from wrong, but apparently, she was doing a piss poor job of it, based on what the handsome man had just told her. She couldn't help but cry at the information she'd just been given.

"I'm so sorry. I'll make it all good, I promise. It's just…it's just hard without having anyone to help me. I mean, I try so hard, but I have to work until six and they get home from school at three. We don't know anyone like we did at the apartment, so even though I tell them to stay home and do their homework, they do as they please. I'm so sorry," she sobbed. She truly hoped it was the damn drugs that were making her cry like a hysterical woman in front of a virtual stranger because she usually didn't cry.

"Shit. Don't cry, okay? I mean they're young, right? Hell, I probably did stuff a lot worse than any of that. I remember putting fire crackers in the neighbors' mailboxes. It's just…I don't want them to get into a lot of trouble, and I'm afraid they're going to. Fuck. _ALICE!_" he yelled.

A minute later, Alice Cullen appeared. She was the cutest girl that Bella thought she'd ever seen. Alice was about five-feet tall and likely weighed less than a hundred pounds. She was dressed in a black mini-skirt and black leggings with a white t-shirt that was torn in a fashionable way, Bella was sure. She had on a lot of eye liner but no other make-up.

Carlisle had told Bella that Alice was going through a Goth phase, so when Alice dyed her beautiful chestnut hair blue- black, her mother didn't say anything to her. She did, however, come into the office on her lunch hour and cry on her husband's shoulder that her baby wasn't a baby any longer.

One look at the sobbing woman sitting on the side of the tub, and Alice slapped Edward on the arm. "Uncle Eddie, what did you do?" she spat at him.

"Nothing! I just told her about some things that the boys had been up to and…dammit…just get her to stop crying, please? I'm going downstairs," he answered and quickly left the room.

Alice looked at Bella and smiled. She pulled off a length of toilet paper after she didn't find tissues, and she dried the woman's eyes. "Don't cry. His bark is certainly worse than his bite, okay? Those two boys are adorable, but they just need something to do in the afternoon to keep them out of trouble. I tell you what. I only go to school half a day, so I'll pick them up at three, and _I'll _hang out with them here. I'll make sure that they don't terrorize anyone, I promise," Alice offered with a smile.

"You don't have to do that. I'll figure it out," Bella told her as she blew my nose with one hand.

"Now, stop. It'll give me something to do in the afternoons instead of pining away for my dream man. So, let's get you showered, okay?" Alice asked. She helped Bella undress and shower, and she washed Bella's hair as best she could.

Thirty minutes later, Bella was heading downstairs to assess the damage and take her sons to the whipping post. As she settled at the table taking a sip from a cup of tea that was waiting for her, she noticed the quiet. Usually, there was a blaring television and a lot of yelling at their house on Saturday morning. That morning, it was unusually quiet which was a cause for concern.

She thought she remembered Edward mentioning that Esme was there, but the woman was nowhere to be seen, and Alice had disappeared as well, leaving Edward Masen and Bella Uley in the kitchen alone. He pulled out a warm plate with eggs Benedict on it and placed it in front of her where she noticed that the sauce wasn't even broken. She was quite shocked. "Did the boys eat this?" she asked as she took her first bite. It was heavenly, and the hollandaise was perfect.

"No. They had bacon and cheese omelets. Jake mentioned that you like eggs with ham and white stuff, so Es took a chance. He said you got it when you went to brunch on birthday Sundays after church. How's your shoulder?" he asked her as he sat down across from her drinking coffee. She decided that the guy was like no man she'd ever met in her life.

The moans and groans that were coming out of her as she ate hinted that she was about to have an egg-gasm right there at the table because it was so damn good. "Where are the accused?" she asked between bites. She saw Edward point toward the ceiling which led her to believe they were upstairs, and not that he'd killed them and they were in heaven, which was probably what they deserved, she deduced.

Suddenly, she heard the most incredible sound in the world…the vacuum. It was coming from upstairs, and Bella couldn't begin to imagine who was running it. It wouldn't have surprised her if the damn thing just took pity on her and plugged itself in, moving freely around the upstairs by itself. That or her sons were sucking water out of the toilet with it again to see if they could make a really big water balloon with the bag. It wasn't her first vacuum cleaner.

She saw Edward take in her shocked expression and heard him chuckle. "Oh, that's all Alice. She told them that she couldn't have boyfriends who were pigs, so she's got them cleaning their rooms. She told them that the two of them together were just the right age for her, but they had to clean up their act. You'd be surprised what she can talk people into," he replied with a huge smile on his face that took Bella's breath away. In that moment, she was pretty sure that _he_ could talk people into a lot of things, or out of a lot of things…_namely clothes_…himself.

"Why are you here? I'll reprimand them, and I promise you that they'll make up everything to your neighbors. I'll make them go house-to-house to apologize if I need to. Look, I know that they're a handful, but I'll talk to Carlisle about cutting back my hours or maybe working from home if possible," she offered desperately.

He rose from the table, clearing her dishes and loading the dishwasher. Bella saw him run water in the sink and plunge the dirty skillet into it. Once it was submerged, he dried his hands and sat back down with his coffee.

"I don't know your story, and I won't push you for it, but you seem like a nice woman who could use a friend. You're in a new neighborhood, and for whatever reason, their dad isn't around. I have a proposal for you," he offered.

She considered what he was saying, but before she heard him out, she needed a few answers of her own. "How old are you?" Bella asked. She could tell that he was younger than her, and before she got too far into her fantasies of him, she had to know if she was going to go to jail for the thoughts that were circling her head as she looked at him sitting across from her in her kitchen.

"Twenty-four…twenty-five in June," he answered as he laced his fingers behind his head and sat back, exposing just the tiniest bit of a very toned abdomen to her which caused her mind to wander a bit.

"Great. That's just what I needed to hear. Um, I'll make sure that my mom takes them to her house after school instead of dropping them off at home. After soccer today, I'll make them right every wrong they pulled in your neighborhood and apologize. Thank you for your help," she dismissed as she placed her tea cup in the sink and started out of the room.

"Freeze. We're not done here," Edward called behind her. She stopped because she might have been a little dismissive and he'd been nothing but kind to her, so she turned around and walked back into the kitchen.

"What?" she asked impatiently.

"How old are _you_? I know that's not a question to ask a lady, but you seemed interested in my age, so…?" he asked with a head tilt as if he was taking in her appearance and making a judgment of his own.

Bella let out a big sigh. "I'll be thirty-one in September. Anything else?" she asked sarcastically.

"Hmmm. An older woman? Well, that's actually quite interesting. So you were…?" he began. Bella knew the discussion. It was one she hated to have, but it was one she was going to have that morning whether she liked it or not.

"I was eighteen when I got pregnant and nineteen when they were born. I was married for three years before we threw in the towel. Their father lives in Alaska with his new family," she answered, hoping that she'd cut directly to the chase and could get the kid out of her house.

She thought, "_Fuck. He's six-years younger than me. That's too ridiculous to even consider. He's so damn handsome, but I'm thirty and he's the equivalent of jailbait in my mind. Hell, he's likely just graduated from college last year, and he's just beginning his path into adulthood. I've been here for a hell of a long time_."

"What do you do for a living?" she asked before he commented on the fact that her kids were nearly half his age.

He sighed and placed his forearms on the table, looking at her. "Okay. I graduated from Dartmouth at twenty. I took a year off and travelled around Europe, and then I came back here and got a job working in advertising. I was in a sort-of relationship that ended a year ago, and currently I'm single. I have a house on Bennett Circle, and I drive a nice Mercedes that your sons egged yesterday," he laid out for her.

It was quite an interesting history, if Bella did say so herself. "Well, you've packed a lot in in a very short period of time. I work for Carlisle as a medical transcriptionist, and I don't date. I'm doing everything I can to corral twin eleven-year olds, and I play Russian roulette with my household finances. We really don't have a lot in common, now do we? I mean, except for the fact that my sons are a pain in both of our asses," she added.

"Let me take you to dinner tonight?" he asked rather surprisingly.

"What?" she asked. It was absolutely ludicrous to even consider, in her mind. He was far too young for her, and she needed to get ideas of him out of her head. His request to take her to dinner was the last thing she needed to be considering that Saturday morning.

"I said…and I'll say it slower if your meds are wreaking havoc with your ability to process…let me take you to dinner tonight. Alice can stay with the boys, and I'll take you out for a nice meal, and we can see what we do or don't have in common," he offered.

"Young man, you're far too _young_ for me or my situation, so let's not beat around the bush. I'm most certain that the young ladies in town are lined up outside your house waiting for you to come home," she replied, hating herself for sounding so condescending. It was her lame attempt to just get him out of her house before she let her mind get away from her. She was blaming it on the damn Vicodin.

"Too young? That's a bit inane, isn't it? You're a beautiful woman who interests me, future felon offspring aside, and apparently, I have some sort of an effect on you because your face is flushed and you've been blinking furiously since this conversation started," he answered.

"_Oh, God. Why, in the name of all things holy, is he so fucking observant?_" she thought_. _ She decided that she had to shut it down immediately. She wasn't sure what to say to the kid. He wasn't like anyone she'd ever met before, but she really needed to head him off because, in her mind, there was no way the two of them had anything in common.

"Listen, the hard sell is really sweet and cute, and I'm sure girls your age love it, but I'm_ way_ too old for you, so you might as well give up. I've got two eleven-year olds, rent, an old truck, and no desire to deflower a young man who's only been able to drink legally for three years. I appreciate that you felt the need to see that I didn't drown in my own vomit or whatever, but your obligation is non-existent because I think you know that we are _not_ compatible," she told him rather rudely as she tried to figure out a way to get him to leave.

"Wow, I guess a shitty relationship _really_ does taint women after all. I thought that was just bullshit. Well, I'm not worried. Oh, and you don't have to worry about deflowering me. I haven't been flowered since I was seventeen," he responded cockily. She was so taken aback that she could only stare at him.

"I make you nervous. Why is that?" he asked as he put his cup of coffee on the table and then settled back and crossed his ankle over his knee. She was still stuck to the spot she was standing in at the kitchen counter.

"You don't make me nervous," Bella defended nervously. Of course, he did, because she honestly didn't know what to do with him. She knew what she _wanted_ to do with him, but it was completely inappropriate to think about it with him sitting right there in front of her. Hell, it was inappropriate to think about it with him sitting anywhere.

He laughed. "I think your body language speaks to the contrary. Sit down and let me tell you a little story," he responded. Of course, she was intrigued. It also didn't help that the guy had the most enthralling green eyes she'd ever seen in her life. They were like two pools of jade that just drew her in. She walked to the table and sat down across from him, facing him and waiting for his next words.

"Okay, Dr. Seuss, I'm waiting," she replied as she crossed her arm over her chest. The other arm wasn't going anywhere without a hell of a lot of pain.

"You're very attracted to me, but you're fighting it, and I can't exactly figure out why. You're thirty and I'm twenty-four, soon to be twenty-five so we're only five years apart. You've got two sons, and while I don't have a lot of experience with kids, I don't dislike them. I think if I got to know them, they'd like me."

"You can't get passed a single-digit number, which is absolutely crazy, but I won't argue that at this point in time. How about this…you spend time with me and get to know me, and if you don't want to go out with me on a date, the worst thing that you've done is made a friend. I could always use a friend. How 'bout you?" he asked.

"_Well, fuck, the kid makes a lot of sense", _she thought_._

"_So_, I'm attracted to you? I'm sure most women are. You're a very handsome young man," she began as she placed her hand on the table to try to ground herself because his astute observation had nearly knocked her on her ass. Edward grabbed her hand over the table and got her attention immediately, shutting her mouth which she didn't realize was hanging open.

"First, you've gotta stop with the adjectives," he remarked, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles and sending a shock to parts of her that hadn't received a shock in a very, very long time.

"Adjectives?" she asked. Oh, she knew what he was talking about, but she wanted to hear his arguments.

"Namely, the word _young_. Stop thinking about me as a kid, will you? I'm far from a kid. I'm a man. I may be _younger_ than you, but I'm not _young_. I'm not naïve. I'm not a virgin. I'm a man attracted to a woman, and I'm not afraid to pursue her. You just need to ratchet down the fact that you've had to shoulder so much responsibility by yourself for a long time, and you need to see that you're only thirty-years old and that…just maybe…you deserve to have a little fun, too. I understand your responsibilities, but son-of-a-bitch, you're not dead, Bella. You're a beautiful woman who, I'd guess, hasn't allowed a man in her life for quite a while. Maybe you've got good reasons, but I think if you'd just take a breath and give me a shot, you'll see that I'm not who you think I am," he offered by way of an explanation or a defense. She wasn't sure which.

Bella sat there for a minute letting him caress her hand and completely enjoying the feeling as she contemplated his comments. She'd never had another man around her sons, and she wasn't sure that it was a good idea, but she wanted to find out what had her so conflicted with regard to Edward Masen.

"Look, I need to get the boys to their soccer game. Um, I think we could be friends, and like I said, I'll make sure that they make things right on your block, but I think that you and I are at two ends of the spectrum. You're just starting out, and I'm…well…I'm in the middle, or something. Thanks for your help, but you're off the hook. You put _yourself_ on the hook, by the way," she reminded. He laughed and got up from the table, emptying his coffee cup and washing the pots in the sink without another word.

Her head was swimming at that point, and she didn't know how long it would take her to sort it out. She wasn't even sure if she really wanted to sort it out.

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_**E/N: Thank you for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I'm so happy for the reception this little tale has received. I'll be honest…I suck at responding, but ask me questions and I'll address them in the author's note or the end note. I really enjoyed writing this one (it's actually finished, so you'll get the whole story). That doesn't mean that things don't change as I give a final edit to each chapter before I post it because I really do read your reviews and take your suggestions into consideration.**_

_**So, more characters are introduced this chapter, and we find out more information regarding the alleged vandalism on Bennett Circle.**_

_**Thank you for reading. Enjoy…**_

_**SMeyer owns…I do not…except for the idea of this story.**_

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3.

"How's the shoulder?" Charlie Swan asked as he settled into a chair next to Bella at the soccer park. Edward had driven them to the game without really asking her if it was okay. She noticed that the boys were quite leery of going with him, but she knew it was because of the fact that they knew he was pissed at them about the egging of his car. She was going to have to deal with _that_ after the game.

Alice had also ridden with them to the game, and in Bella's opinion, Jacob and Jared were behaving like someone else's kids. She was completely stunned at whatever the power was that Alice Cullen had over them. It was incredible.

As she sat on the sidelines watching the game, she chuckled that Alice was busy running up and down the field cheering for the team, getting as much of a workout as the players on the field.

"Hurts like a son-of-a-bitch unless I'm high on painkillers. How's Mom's wrist?" Bella asked her father as she looked around, not seeing her mother anywhere. It wasn't like Renee to miss a game, so Bella decided that she must have been in worse pain than she thought.

"Oh, she's home. She was taking the same pills you are, but she ran out so now she's on ibuprofen and not liking it at all. I don't know how you can sit up on those pills. I don't see Sam anywhere," her dad remarked as he shot up from his chair as Jake kicked the ball down the field to Emma Samuels who managed to get it into the net. After the customary cheering, he sat back down.

"Dad, he's not due down from Alaska until the week after school is out when he takes them to visit Ida. After that, he's back in Alaska with Emily and the new baby," she answered. She saw the look on his face and realized that she hadn't actually shared the news that Sam and Emily had a baby.

"New baby? He has a new _baby_, and he's seeing his sons one week a year? How in the hell do you not take him back to court? How much is he paying you now? Please tell me it's more than the six-hundred a month that he's paid you since you two got divorced," her dad snapped in her direction, causing her to wince.

She really didn't want to go into her financial quagmire sitting at the soccer field when she was high on pain killers and had her thoughts clouded with Edward Masen. She wasn't on her game at all, and she didn't really want to get into it with her father, what with his guilt over the part he'd played in her marrying Sam in the first place.

"Dad, he does the best he can. He lives far away, and he can only afford to come down for one week a year. The boys look forward to it, so stop worrying," she ordered.

"Son-of-a-bitch. How in the hell are you making ends meet? Dammit, Bella. Let me and Mom help you out. We've got…" Charlie began his tirade yet again.

"Just stop it. Okay? We're fine. Maybe we don't have cable and maybe they don't have an _Xbox _or a _Wii_, but they're fine. They get outside and get fresh air and ride their bikes. Most of their friends don't get out of the house more than to go to school," she reasoned, leaving out the part that while they were out riding said bikes they were vandalizing the neighborhood. She needed to give that considerable thought and come up with some type of a solution.

"Bells, Mom and I love you and the boys very much, and we just want to make sure that you guys are taken care of. I know we raised you to be independent and handle your own problems, but if you're runnin' short because of this accident, I've got my pension that I can draw from and help you out. You need a new car because I don't know how much longer that old truck is gonna run. How'd you get here, anyway?" her dad asked.

Just then, Jacob scored a goal, causing Alice and Charlie to jump up and cheer. She saw Edward out of the corner of her eye cheering as well, which surprised her. She would have jumped up if she could move, but that really wasn't an option at the time. All she really wanted to do was sleep.

Her father sat down again and turned to her. "Well?" he asked. She knew what he was asking, but she really didn't want to answer because it would bring a long explanation that she wasn't ready to give him.

"We got a ride with Alice Cullen. We're fine, really. Don't worry about us," she told him. He shook his head and muttered "stubborn damn woman" under his breath, but he left just after the game was over, saving her from having to explain the fact that she'd been less than forthcoming that Edward Masen had actually been the driver.

Edward walked over to where her father had sat next to her and looked at her. "Maybe we'll go out another night. I'd say that pain pill is about to take you out. Let's get you and the boys back home. I'll order us a pizza, and you can sleep. Come on," he ordered as he picked her up, much to her disliking…or liking…hell, at that point, she didn't even know.

He carried her to his car, and she fell asleep in the front seat. The next time she woke, she was in her bed and she wasn't wearing any pants. That didn't bode well at all.

##

"_What the fuck am I doing?"_ Edward asked himself. He was only going to tell the woman what hellions her sons were and force her to punish them into making restitution for their damage. He didn't mean to allow the woman to get under his skin, but he'd be goddamned if she didn't. He wasn't sure if it was the big brown eyes, the gorgeous face, the spectacular body, or the fact that she was pushing him away that enticed him into doing far more than he was willing, but there he was, up to his ass in it.

He'd taken her and the heathens to the soccer game, and he was shocked that the kids were so damn talented. If they both played their cards right, they could ride their abilities into scholarships at first-rate colleges as long as they kept up their grades, he decided.

After he took her upstairs and she struggled out of her pants as she settled herself on the bed, he went back downstairs to find the Uley boys pacing nervously in the living room. "Yeah, you better pace. Now, first thing you're going to do is wash my damn car and get all of the egg off of it. After that, you're going to take the garden gnomes back where you got them. Tomorrow morning, we're going to the nursery and buying flowers to replant in Mrs. Sohn's garden, and then, you're going to meet Rosalie McCarty," he threatened.

"Ma won't go along with that. We go to church on Sunday," Jacob informed defiantly.

"Guess what? _Ma's_ passed out upstairs on painkillers, and at this point, I'd say you're lucky with what I've got planned. She didn't tell your grandfather what you two have been up to because I seriously doubt that a cop would want to know that his grandsons were juvenile delinquents in training. Now, go wash my damn car and pray to God that the egg residue didn't damage my paint. Otherwise, I can see two guys mowing my grass until you graduate from high school to pay for my new paint job," he ordered.

Much to Edward's surprise, all they did was groan and go outside. He looked out the window and saw them with buckets and sponges and a hose. He actually chalked it up as a win, and as he watched them out the kitchen window, he was impressed. They didn't just wash the front of it where they'd egged it…they washed the whole damn thing including the wheels.

When they were just about finished, he walked outside and stood on the driveway, inspecting the car. "You did good, guys. Um, get the gnomes, and let's make a run over to my neighborhood before your mom wakes up," he ordered.

As they cleaned up the mess that they'd made washing the car, he went to check on Bella, seeing that she was probably going to be out for a while longer, so he knew they had time to try to undo some of the damage the two had caused. The boys grabbed the garden gnomes, and Edward told them to wait at the corner of Mr. Hamm's house while he distracted him.

He knocked on the door of William Hamm's house, and when Mr. Hamm opened the door, he invited Edward inside. "Edward, how are you? Any luck on finding the culprits? Rosalie McCarty called, and we're supposed to have a block meeting at their house on Wednesday. She told us that you got your car egged. You know, I think they're from the wrong side of town. Kids this day and age have no respect for anything," his neighbor lamented.

Edward casually glanced out the front window and saw his two delinquents arguing about placement, and he wanted to kill them. "_Do they not understand covert operations? They got the goddamn gnomes out of there without being caught. How could they not get them back in the proper spot without being caught?"_ he thought.

"Maybe, but maybe they're just new to the neighborhood and bored? I mean, there aren't many kids in this neighborhood to make friends. I'd say before we actually sentence them, we give them a shot? Maybe a little guidance? You never know what you're dealing with, right?" he asked as he tried to keep Mr. Hamm's attention on him and away from the window.

Once the boys finally decided on placement, Edward let out a heavy sigh. He was about to make his excuses to leave when he saw Rosalie McCarty bolt from her house, barefooted and pissed off. It wasn't a welcome sight at all.

"You two stop right there," he heard her shout as she shot across the street.

"Um, I need to go take care of something. I just wanted to check on you. I'll see you on Wednesday," Edward called as he sprinted out of the house and got between Rosalie and the boys who appeared to be scared shitless. They certainly had a good reason to be.

"Rose, calm down. They have every intention of cleaning up the mess in the neighborhood. Look, I'll talk to their mom about how they can make restitution for the rug, okay?" he asked quickly. He saw Emmett come out of the house and amble across the street to join the party.

Edward hurriedly decided that the best thing to do was take it to his own yard, so he grabbed Rosalie's arm and the pair met Emmett in the middle of the street. Edward looked back and saw the Uley boys standing as stiff as the garden gnomes in Mr. Hamm's yard, which wasn't where he wanted them to be.

"Get over here," he yelled at them. They both jogged across the street and stood next to Edward on his yard. He took a deep breath and prayed he'd walk away from the encounter with his nuts intact and not in Rosalie's hand.

"Rosalie, I believe that Jacob and Jared want to apologize for taping Brute's dog door shut…don't you?" Edward coaxed as he turned to look at them.

"He gets in the street, and we were worried that he'd get hit, so we taped the door shut. He's got a hole under the fence, you know," Jacob offered.

"_Please, dear God, let there be a hole under that fence," _Edward prayed silently.

"Wait, he gets out of the yard?" Emmett asked.

"Well, yeah. He doesn't like those little midgets in that guy's yard, so he gets out and claws at 'em. I decided to move 'em to our place and fix the paint before the old guy saw it. We didn't want the dog to get out because he's a great dog, and we didn't want him to get hit. We put a rock there at the hole, but he still got out of the yard, and really, he shit all over the place which pissed the old guy off and that other lady down the street with the housecoat. We tried to clean it up without getting caught, but we just decided that the best thing was for him to stay in the house until we could figure out how to fill the hole," Jacob offered. If they were lying, they were really good at it, as Edward surmised.

"Show me," Rosalie demanded. The two walked around the fence in the McCarty's backyard and straight to a place in the fence where there was a hole under it. Edward saw the look of surprise on her face and Emmett's, and he let out a held breath of relief.

"He dug up that lady's flowers, and we tried to fix 'em, but they were pretty much dead when we got there. We pulled her hose out to water 'em, but she came out and saw us and started yelling, so we hauled ass out of there," Jared expounded.

"What about Mrs. Cope's cat?" Edward asked, completely intrigued by their explanations.

"That damn thing. She opens a window and he's busted the screen somehow. You almost ran over him twice, so we decided that we'd paint him with glow-in-the-dark paint so maybe you'd see him. She needs to fix that screen," Jared offered.

Edward had never seen the stupid cat in the street, but that really didn't mean that he didn't almost hit it because most of the time he was in another world when he was driving home. That reminded him of something. "Why'd you egg my car?" he asked.

"Because, you drive too damn fast down this street. You almost hit that cat, and imagine if it was a kid playing in the street. You don't pay attention to anything when you drive, so we decided we'd surprise you and hope maybe it would make you start paying more attention. Are we gonna have to go to jail?" Jacob asked. Apparently, something Edward had said had resonated with them, but everything they'd said to the gathered residents of Bennett Circle made sense. It made perfect sense, as a matter of fact.

Rosalie surprised both of them by kissing them on the cheeks. "I'm sorry I judged you. I had no idea the dog was getting out. Either one of you know how to cut grass? You can make a killing here this summer if you do. I'll pay you to do my yard, and I'll let you use my mower to cut the neighbors' grass if they're interested. Hell, I'll even make flyers and put 'em out for you," she replied kindly.

Apparently, the Uley boys had won her over just like they'd won Edward over. He had no idea where that left them, but they weren't the delinquents he'd originally thought they were. He was really pleasantly surprised, and it only made him want to get to know their mother even more.

Only a remarkable woman could raise two remarkable boys, and Edward wanted to figure out how she'd done it. That was his new mission, and he was going to see it through.

##

The Uley boys and Edward Masen had just finished two and a half pizzas and were playing blackjack. They told him that their grandparents had taught them, and it made him laugh. In his revised opinion of them, they really were great kids, and he was so pleasantly surprised that he wanted to spend more time with them.

"Hit me," Jacob called as the three sat at the table using toothpicks as chips. Edward flipped a king of hearts, and Jacob folded. Edward heard footsteps on the stairs and got up to go make sure that the anti-ballerina didn't tumble. She had her pants back on, which didn't surprise him, and she looked pissed off.

"What are you still doing here? Did you undress me?" she hissed at him as she hit the bottom step.

"Okay, first, we need to cut those pills in half, and second, you undressed yourself. I'm still here because the boys and I just had pizza, and you should probably eat something as well. We're just playing cards in the kitchen. You know, they're actually remarkable young men. Once you're not high on painkillers, I've got a hell of a story for you," Edward told her as she walked into the kitchen.

"What did you do now?" Bella asked as she looked at her two sons. Edward could see where she might think that they'd been up to no good, but in reality, in their own twisted way, they were really trying to help, just like him. He could sympathize with them more than he ever imagined.

"We didn't do anything. We cleaned up Mr. Masen's car, and we're playing cards. How's your shoulder?" Jared asked as he stood up and helped her into a chair.

"It hurts, but it's fine. Can one of you get me the bottle of Advil from the cabinet? I need to stay away from those pills. What kind of pizza did you have?" she asked as she held her right hand to her head.

"There's half of a barbeque chicken left," Jacob told her as he rose and flipped two pieces on a plate and put it in the microwave for her.

If Edward were truly a betting man, he'd have never bet that the twin, could-be delinquents would be so attentive to their mother. It actually made him happy and ashamed at the same time. He was happy that they seemed to be protective of her, and he was ashamed that he'd judged them all so harshly without having any facts. Nothing in the Uley family was as it appeared at first blush.

Jared got up from the table and got his mother a glass of milk from the refrigerator, placing it in front of her and kissing her cheek, which touched Edward more than he wanted to admit.

"So, milk?" Edward asked as he observed her take a drink. When the microwave went off, Jacob pulled the plate from it and set it on the table in front of her, handing her a napkin from the cabinet.

"She's weird but we love her," Jared teased as he pinched his mother's cheek, seeing her laugh before she batted his hand away with her good one.

"Tomorrow, we're skipping church because I very well can't drive us, and you boys are going to go over to Bennett Circle and knock on every door of every house and confess what you did. Then, you're going to take whatever punishment those people level at you, and you're going to do it without one question, do you understand me?" Bella scolded as Edward watched her take in the sight of her two sons. He felt a little guilty that she didn't know the whole story, so he cleared his throat and prepared to explain the massive misunderstanding to her.

"Yes ma'am. Do we really gotta get rid of our stuff in the garage? We use those parts from those busted bikes to fix ours because we know we're not gettin' new ones anytime soon. If we didn't have those parts, Jared's knees would be draggin' the ground," Edward heard Jacob explain.

He saw Bella frown, and he wasn't sure why. "I know, guys, but I'm doing the best I can. Look, your birthday is in November, and maybe I can get some overtime from Dr. Cullen once my shoulder is better. We'll save the money and buy you bigger used bikes, okay?" she asked. Edward could see that she felt guilty, and he wondered how dire her financial situation actually was.

Just as he was about to stick his nose into something that he was certain wasn't his business, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Jacob announced as he trotted out of the kitchen.

A minute later, Edward saw Carlisle and Esme come in behind Jacob and Alice. "Sorry we didn't call first, but we wanted to stop by and see how you are. I made a few casseroles because I'm sure it's going to be a while before you can actually cook, so I'll just put them in the freezer," Esme volunteered.

Carlisle walked to the table where Bella had pushed her empty plate away and looked at her. Edward could tell he was assessing her, and he was truly happy that his sister and brother-in-law were such kind people. "So, how's the pain, one to ten?" Carlisle asked her as he gently removed the sling and checked the swelling of her arm.

"Um, right now, about a five. I can't take those damn pills, Carlisle. If my house would catch on fire, I'd never be able to get out of here on my own," she told him.

He chuckled. "I'm not really surprised. I should have known that you'd take issue with the strength of the prescription. I took the liberty of bringing you something that's a lot milder. You can take it before bed to ease the pain, but it won't knock you out like the Vicodin. Also, supplement with ibuprofen help with bone pain. If you stay on top of it, you'll need fewer of the pain pills," Carlisle instructed, producing a small bottle of a far weaker pain pill.

"So, I wondered if I could spend the night. I brought clothes, and I'll be able to help you around here because you're not really going to be able to do too much," Alice volunteered as she sat down at the table in the chair that Jacob had vacated. It hadn't really occurred to Edward that just because Bella was able to get around of her own volition, she still wouldn't be able to do much.

"I'll be happy to stay and help as well," Edward volunteered rather uncharacteristically. He knew just how uncharacteristic it was when he looked away from Bella and saw the looks of shock on his sister, his brother-in-law, and his niece.

He hadn't really meant to just blurt it out, but he actually had no intentions of leaving her alone that night. She'd expressed the problem quite accurately when she mentioned that if there was any type of emergency, she'd never be able to get herself out of the house. He was determined to be her safety net whether she wanted it or not. He decided that he wouldn't mind sleeping in his car on her driveway if she fought him on it.

"Alice, thank you. Masen, you've already done more than enough. I'm sure there's some young lady out there who's missing your company tonight. Carlisle, can I drive?" Bella asked.

Edward wasn't about to argue with her in front of his family, but he certainly wasn't going to be dismissed quite so easily. He decided that after everyone left or went to bed, he'd state his case so clearly that she'd never question him again. Bella Uley had become his newest obsession, and he wasn't about to let her doubt his sincerity.

"Um, no. Not for a week until you see the ortho in Port Angeles. I had Angela make you an appointment, so you're on sick leave until he gives you the all clear," Carlisle instructed. Everyone in the room saw the look of concern on her face.

Just as she was about to protest, Carlisle added, "You've got a lot of built-up sick time, Bella. You'll be paid for it. When you can return to work, you can answer the phones and pull files until you're able to begin transcribing notes again. I'm going to hire a temp to come in so that we don't get behind, but those are the doctor's orders, and since I'm the doctor, I guess you'll have to follow them. Now, Es, we should go. Call if you need anything. Guys, it was good to see you," Carlisle called as he wrapped his arm around his wife and led her out of the kitchen toward the door.

"I'll just see them out," Edward called as he hopped up from the table and followed his sister and her husband out of the room and into the front hallway.

Once the front door was opened, Edward shoved Esme and Carlisle out and pulled it closed, ensuring that it wasn't locked because he wasn't exactly certain that Bella would let him back in if he locked himself out.

"Okay, I get the impression that she's not seeing anyone. Is she?" he whispered as his eyes moved rapidly between his sister and her husband.

"How the hell would we know? It's not a condition of employment that my employees keep me abreast of their relationship status. It's not Facebook," Carlisle answered. Edward could see the smug look on Carlisle's face because he'd obviously figured out Edward was quite taken with Bella.

He believed that Carlisle had picked up on it at the emergency room the night before, and he was certain that the look on his face gave away the fact that he was even more intrigued by the woman with every minute he spent with her.

Edward sighed in exasperation and looked at the two of them sternly. "To the best of your knowledge, has any man shown up at your office to pick her up from work or does she get flowers on a regular basis?" he snapped at them.

Esme seemed to take him in, and upon reaching the end of her assessment, she began laughing. "No way? You're interested in a woman with two eleven-year-old boys? This isn't a joke, is it?" she asked, suddenly looking very serious.

"I don't know what the fuck this is, but it's definitely not a joke. I really like her, and I want to get to know her better but she keeps pushing me away. I need some time to sort of figure things out, but if there's another guy in there with whom I'm going to compete, I need to know," Edward informed them.

Esme looked at her brother, and then she looked at her husband, seeing him shaking his head while his hands were plunged into the pockets of his jeans. "Wait, so you're completely serious about this? I thought you were on some sort of a dating hiatus after the whole Becca fiasco," Esme reminded.

"Jesus, Carlisle, can you keep nothing to yourself? I thought you took some sort of an oath or something," Edward complained to his brother-in-law.

"My oath is to my patients, not to your romantic dalliances. Now, Bella's worked for me for five years, but we've always kept everything professional. I can tell you that as far as I know, and mind you, I don't keep up with the dating habits of my employees, no man has ever picked her up from work, nor have I ever seen flowers delivered to her. Does that help?" Carlisle asked.

Edward could tell that Carlisle was eating up the fact that he was on pins and needles with regard to Bella's romantic status, and he didn't really appreciate it but if it was what was necessary to get information, he'd endure the scrutiny…though, not happily.

"Thank you. I'll talk to you tomorrow," Edward snapped as he let himself back into the house and closed the door before his sister had the opportunity to level any additional questions regarding his interest in Bella.

He took a deep breath and walked back into the kitchen, finding her sitting alone with what appeared to be a stack of papers in front of her. When he walked around the table to sit down and explain to her that he was planning to stay regardless of her protestations, he was shocked to see that she was crying. He didn't know why, but when he glanced at the papers in front of her, he saw that they appeared to be bills. That wasn't a good sign in his opinion…not a good sign at all.

##

After Edward, Esme, and Carlisle left her house, Bella went to the drawer in her kitchen and pulled out her bills. She counted on the overtime money that she made at Carlisle's office to keep her afloat…about as afloat as a leaky rowboat…and being forced to take time off of work, even if she was paid her regular hourly rate, was going to cut into her income substantially and put her behind on her bills to the point that she might not be able to recover.

The last thing she wanted to do was go back on public assistance as she'd been forced to do before she got the job working for Carlisle. She'd been working for a temp agency, but the work was sporadic, and as much as she tried to cut corners, there were only so many corners she could cut.

Things got so bad that at a point in time that her only alternative to take care of her sons was to apply for food subsidies, and in her mind, it was a complete sign of failure. As far as she knew, no one ever knew about it because she'd made sure to grocery shop in a part of town where she knew no one, but it wounded her pride to have to accept public assistance.

When she got the job with Carlisle, it was like she was able to breath, but that was before her sons started growing at such a rapid pace and before their appetites increased so substantially.

With the expenses associated with raising a family alone, money just didn't go as far as it did when the boys were younger, and she was at a complete loss of how to solve her problem. The only thing that came to mind was to find a part-time job, but leaving her sons unsupervised for more hours of the day could only bring more problems. As it stood, she wasn't sure how she was going to be able to pay for the destruction her sons appeared to have levied on the neighbors on Bennett Circle.

She was leafing through the pending outlays when, suddenly, Edward Masen was sitting across from her with a look of concern on his face. She sniffed and dried her eyes with her right hand, and then she quickly gathered the papers and flipped them over.

"I thought you left," she remarked as she got up from the table and walked to the drawer in the kitchen, depositing the papers and grabbing a tissue. She was determined that no matter how sharp the pain got, she was_ not_ going to take any more of the pain pills.

"I went to walk Carlisle and Esme out. Where are the boys and Alice?" Edward asked her. She perked up her ears, hearing the television in the living room. She had no idea what they were watching because they didn't have cable, but no one was complaining so she wasn't going to push the issue.

"I think they're watching a video," she responded. She saw him look at her with a cocked eyebrow regarding her reference to "video" rather than DVD, and she really didn't want to explain that they had her parents' old VHS machine. The boys had a lot of old videos that had been hers growing up, and they never complained, so she didn't push that issue either.

"Um, oh. Are you in pain?" Edward asked her. She could see that he was at a loss regarding what to do, and she felt a little sorry for him because he seemed like a nice enough man. She was certain that he'd never dealt with the types of issues she dealt with on a daily basis, and it only served to remind her that they probably had little to nothing in common. The sooner he realized it, the sooner that they could both get on with their lives.

"No, I'm fine. Um, thank you for everything you've done. Like I told them, we'll be over in your neighborhood tomorrow, so you don't…" she began.

"That was all a huge misunderstanding. I talked to my neighbors today, and the boys explained their actions. It was quite the opposite of what I thought in the first place. They're quite resourceful, your sons. Everything that they did had an excellent explanation, and all of my neighbors now actually love them. Rosalie McCarty, who I really think you should meet, wants to hire them to mow her yard and has offered her lawn mower for their use if they get any interest from any of the neighbors. I'm going to hire them to mow my yard, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of the neighbors will as well. What's wrong?" he asked her.

She let out a deep breath, thankful that things weren't as bad as she thought, and she suddenly felt completely exhausted despite the fact that she'd slept most of the day away. "Nothing's really wrong. It's those damn pain pills. Um, I think I'm going to bed. Thanks again for all of your help. I'll, um, get the boys to take me to meet this McCarty woman, and I'll consider the grass cutting thing. Thank you for squaring things with your neighbors. I don't think they're bad boys. They're just at that age where they need a lot of supervision and…" she stopped because she knew she was going to start crying again.

She closed her eyes, feeling the tears she couldn't stem, and then she felt a gentle hand on her back and a shoulder being offered. She couldn't stop herself from leaning into it, sobbing like she hadn't done in years.

"I feel the need for full disclosure at this point. Once I set my mind to something, I don't give up. I've decided that you and Jake and Jared are going to be in my life, and it's not something I'm going to let go of, so it's to your benefit to just accept it. It's a dog/bone situation, really. When I get something in my head, I see it through regardless of how annoying I can be, and trust me, I can be really fucking annoying," Edward whispered to her as he stroked her back, obviously avoiding her shoulder so as not to cause her any additional pain.

As she listened to him, she couldn't help but laugh. She pulled away and looked at him, and he began laughing as well. After a minute of looking into each other's eyes, Edward reached for the tissue on the table and dried her eyes. When he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers gently, it completely threw her because it was the last thing she expected.

The softness of his lips wasn't a surprise because, if she was being honest with herself, she had imagined that they would be that soft. The surprise came from her realization that it affected her like no kiss had ever affected her in her life.

The fact that she didn't really love Sam the way she imagined that a wife should love a husband had left her with the distinct impression that sex was just sex and a kiss was just a kiss, just as Louie Armstrong had sang many years prior.

In that moment, she was pretty sure that she'd misjudged the whole kissing situation between a man and a woman. Maybe it was just kissing Edward Masen, but it was truly special. Maybe it was the drugs that were working their way out of her system, but in that moment, she was truly enjoying the chaste brushing of his lips over hers.

He didn't attempt to deepen the kiss, but he didn't move away from her. For a first kiss, it was absolutely perfect.

\\\

_**E/N: So…we have the boys' explanation as to why they did what they did, and well, we have a nice little kiss…Thoughts? **_

_**I haven't really considered a posting schedule, but I'm thinking every few days. How's that work?**_

_**Thank you again for reading. Look forward to hearing from you.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: You are incredible! Do you know that? I'm so happy with the response that I actually squee with every review.**_

_**More bonding in this chapter. I hope you like it.**_

_**SMeyer…queen of all things Twilight...me? Court Jester at the very least.**_

_**\\\**_

4.

A gentle whisper and the dipping of the bed woke Bella from her restless slumber. The kiss from the night before had left her completely stunned, and she vaguely remembered the young man helping her upstairs to bed. He'd sat patiently on the side of the bed while she brushed her teeth and took care of bedtime business, and when she walked out of the bathroom, he helped her into bed and kissed her forehead, leaving her to sleep…which she really didn't.

She opened her eyes to see Alice Cullen sitting on the side of the bed with a smile. "Sorry to wake you, but is it okay if I take the boys to church and then take them over to my house? Daddy opened the pool this week, and they could probably use the opportunity to burn off some energy. I know that they're supposed to clean the garage, so I'll have them home after three. Uncle Eddie said that he'd help them, and then I'll come by and pick them up for school in the morning since you can't drive for a few days. Mom said I should ask you first," Alice volunteered with a huge smile on her face. Bella saw it as a breath of fresh air in her stale world and was actually quite pleased to have Alice Cullen around her boys. She determined that only good could come from the relationship, and she determined that she'd nourish it.

She contemplated Alice's request, and although she hated to rely on the kind heart of Alice Cullen to help her keep her sons occupied, she knew that she was in no shape to handle it alone, so she pushed aside her trepidation and smiled. "That would actually be great. Get in my wallet and get out some money for church. Thank your parents for me, please?" she asked, truly grateful for the help.

"Oh, goodie. By the way, you need to give Uncle Eddie a shot, Bella. I just feel it's important for you to truly look at him as the good man he is and not the guy who's younger than you. I know that it's bothering you, but trust me when I say that I have as much faith in the fact that the two of you will get along famously as I know that I'm going to meet the love of my life this summer. It's going to be so great for both of us. You know, you're not alone in the world. There are a lot of people out there who truly think a lot of you, Jake, and Jared, so open your heart to it. Now, speaking of Uncle Eddie, he's cooking you breakfast. Can I help you do anything before I go?" the girl asked her sweetly.

Bella assessed the young woman who was just on the brink of adulthood, and she could tell that Alice wasn't just spouting shit when she told her that she should give Edward a chance. She could tell that the girl meant every word she was saying, and while she didn't want to rain on the girl's parade, she could chalk up her comments as those of a true romantic at heart.

She only smiled at her, wishing that she, herself, was still the wide-eyed naïve girl who believed that the world was her oyster. It didn't exactly work out that way for everyone, but dissuading Alice of that notion wasn't something Bella planned to do, so she just let it go.

"I'll try to remember that. Thank you for your help, Alice. I appreciate it," Bella offered as the young woman rose from the side of the bed and left the room with a wave and a dazzling smile.

When Bella walked downstairs some time later, she saw her house was as neat as a pin. It surprised her because she was used to tennis shoes and stray socks on the floor, dirty dishes on the coffee table, and throw pillows everywhere except the couch. She didn't know who to thank, but she knew she had to thank someone.

She shuffled into the kitchen, adjusting the sling around her neck which was starting to cut into her flesh, and she was quite shocked at the sight of Edward Masen in a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt standing over the stove making pancakes and humming a tune.

She accidentally bumped the table in her attempt to be stealth in her observations which caused the syrup bottle to tumble because it was nearly empty, reminding her that she needed to go to the grocery store which reminded her that she was likely going to have to write a bad check to cover the cost and she'd just have to pay the overdraft fees later.

She saw Edward turn around abruptly and smile at her. "Good morning. Coffee or tea?" he asked. She was pretty sure she was about out of coffee, so she wasn't certain that there was enough to make a pot. She rose from the table to assess the situation in the refrigerator and when she pulled the door open, she was shocked to see it fully stocked.

"Um, where'd…where'd all of this come from?" she asked quietly. She knew damn well that it wasn't Christmas and there was no such thing as Santa Claus, so the groceries had to come from somewhere.

"I went to the store for a few things and then went to my house and pulled some stuff out of my fridge. I'm not really planning to spend a lot of time there, so I decided that instead of letting it go to waste, I'd just bring it here. Now, coffee or tea?" he asked again as he refilled a mug of coffee for himself.

"Coffee, I guess. Who the hell are you?" she replied feeling completely overwhelmed by his generosity.

"Edward Anthony Masen. Born, June 20, 1986 to Edward and Elizabeth Masen. My mom refers to me as a change-of-life baby because there are about twenty years between me and Es. Man, I gave them a run for their fucking money when I was growing up. I got away with so much shit because they just didn't know how to handle me. I think they were just so surprised when Mom got pregnant but really, I mean, they shouldn't have been because…you know… if you do the deed and all. Anyway, I've had a pretty good life.

"Um, you know my academic resume, so we'll skip that. I play piano and guitar and I've never really been in a serious relationship before this, unless you count my relationship with the lunch lady who gave me an extra slice of pizza on pizza day in middle school. Ah, Mrs. Long. I guess she was really my first love but there's no need for you to be jealous. She was happily married at the time to a mailman. I believe she's retired now.

"So, I was thinking that since the boys are going to be gone for most of the afternoon, we'd go to my house. You can lounge on my couch and watch that women's channel while I do a little work, and then we'll come back here and I'll help the bandits clean out the garage," he unloaded on her before she'd even had her first sip of coffee.

She was completely dazed by what he'd just spewed at her, and as she swallowed her coffee, she saw him flip three pancakes onto a plate and set it in front of her with a sexy smile on his face and a light in his beautiful green eyes that surprised her.

"My question was actually rhetorical but thank you for the history lesson. What, exactly, do you hope to accomplish here?" she asked as she squirted the rest of the syrup in the bottle on her food. Before she put it down on the table, there was a full bottle of _Mrs. Butterworth's_ sitting in front of her.

He sat down across from her with his coffee, and she believed he was contemplating her question. After a few minutes, wherein she was enjoying the pancakes very much, she saw him look at her and chuckle. "Short answer, I plan to get that shit out of your garage. Long term goal is to change your attitude toward life and love, but I assume it's going to take some baby steps to get there. That's fine. I've got time on my side. Besides, your sons think I'm cool, and for now, they listen to me. I'm sure that'll wear thin eventually, but I'll play it while I can. I'm gonna wear you down, just you wait and see," he replied to her with a wink.

Deep in her heart, she knew that the young man sitting across from her whom she'd only known for forty-eight hours was already wearing her down, but she wasn't ready to admit any of that. He was like a figment of her imagination, and she was waiting for the shine to wear off of him, because absolutely no one was as honest and sweet as Edward Masen. She steeled herself to maintain her guard, but she wasn't exactly ready to push him away. It was quite the pickle she found herself in that Sunday morning.

##

Bella was lazing on the most comfortable tan couch she'd ever laid on in her entire life. It was soft to the touch, yet firm; the pillow under her and chenille throw over her made her feel so comfortable that she couldn't help but close her eyes with the television softly droning in the background.

There was a movie on the large screen, but she hadn't been watching it. She'd been watching the beautiful man sitting in the side chair with his long muscular legs stretched out on the ottoman, laptop perched on his lap, and eyes closed as he contemplated something. When he reached a conclusion, he began furiously pecking at his computer and then he'd smile, obviously happy with his decision.

She'd watched the spectacle for nearly an hour, closing her eyes just as he glanced her way, and she contemplated what the hell she was doing at his home.

After breakfast, he'd helped her take off the sling, and then she'd showered and dressed as best she could in an old button up blouse and shorts. She'd rinsed her hair because she couldn't really shampoo it, but Edward had combed it for her and pulled it back in a low ponytail to keep it out of her face.

The two had walked over to his house, and after a cursory tour, he'd settled her on the couch with the remote for the television as he'd settled into working.

She wondered what in the hell had come over her, but she couldn't really say that she hated the abrupt corner her life had turned on Friday night…though she could have done without the injury. While she didn't really know what to make of him, she knew that she felt something for Edward that she'd never experienced before in her life.

The problem was that she needed to label it before either of them got hurt. He was too kind of an individual for her to mistake feelings of gratitude toward him for something more so she knew she needed to get a handle on it pretty quickly.

As he glanced her way, she quickly closed her eyes and sighed. "You're a shitty actress, you know. You've been watching me for the last hour," he called as he placed the laptop on the ottoman and rose from the chair, walking over to the couch and collapsing on the floor beside it, facing her.

"Don't bother me. I'm too comfortable," she mumbled teasingly as she closed her eyes again, not able to allay the images of his handsome face dancing behind her closed lids.

"Oh really? Just wait," he told her as he gently lifted her and sunk down on the couch behind her with one leg on her left and the other on her right, tossing the pillow on the floor and resting her against his chest. If she was admitting things that she never thought she'd admit, he felt a hell of a lot more comfortable behind her than the pillow.

He rested his hands on his thighs, but she still felt his warm presence behind her. The windows and back door were open, and there was a nice breeze circulating through his house that day, and in no time at all, she sunk into a glorious sleep resting against the enigma who was Edward Masen. Her mind was too confused to contemplate anything, so she merely fell asleep against him.

Sometime later, she woke to the feeling of arms crossed over her stomach and the gentle heaving of his chest and soft breaths beneath her. She started to move, but her shoulder ached which caused her to still. She felt a thumb gently grazing her stomach, and she subtly glanced down to see Edward's thumb had slid between the buttons of her blouse and was lazily grazing her bare abdomen.

"Your skin is very soft, you know. You mumble in your sleep by the way, and when I touch you, you sigh. That should go in the pro column of the list I'm sure you're making in your head regarding reasons to keep me around. Oh, and you really like me. Add that to the list. You said my name in your sleep," she heard.

She wasn't actually surprised she'd said his name because she'd had a dream about him, and it had been a very _good_ dream. It was definitely one she wouldn't share with _him_, but one she'd remember for quite a while.

"I can tell you what's going on the con side…you're an arrogant ass," she responded, not moving a muscle. She felt the vibration of his laughter behind her, and it caused her to laugh as well.

"Once you see how I can get Jake and Jared to clean out that garage, you're going to want me around all the time. I'm quite handy. I fixed the leaky faucet in the spare bathroom. I'm good at stuff like that," he volunteered as he kissed the top of her head, surprising her.

His admission shocked her. She'd been trying to fix the dripping faucet for two weeks, but she couldn't figure it out. If he had, she was going to kiss him squarely on the mouth.

"Oh _really_? That's what you think would make me want to keep you around?" she joked.

"Eventually, you'll want me around for other reasons, but for now, I'm happy to use my handyman skills to woo you. Remind me when we leave to go back to your place to grab the WD-40 to fix the squeaky back door hinge. Doesn't that drive you crazy?" he asked her as he snaked his hand under her top and gently scratched his fingers against her stomach.

She grabbed his hand with her good one and said, "Easy there, Mr. Handsy. The squeak of the back door is there for a reason. It's how I know if my sons are trying to sneak out when they think I'm not paying attention. I'm still trying to figure out how to get the front door to squeak. It's like a free security system," she volunteered as she felt his fingers twine with hers and squeeze gently.

"Wow, that's clever actually. When I was growing up in Chicago, we had a squeaky stair that it took me about five years to learn to avoid. I never knew how they figured out when I missed my curfew, but one time, when I was home from college for the summer, I hit that damn step and heard the groan of it and I knew. Oh, my parents are going to love you and the boys, by the way. They're planning to come from London for a visit over the summer. When is the boys' father coming down?" Edward asked her.

The plans he was making made her a little edgy, but for reasons unknown to her, she wasn't ready to run…yet. "Um, school's out in two weeks, and then he'll be down the next week," she volunteered against her better judgment.

"I'd like to meet him. Do you know why they egged my car? They told me I drive too fast down my street, and I'd almost hit my neighbor's cat a couple of times, which is why they painted the fucker green and pink in the first place. They even went so far as to make sure it was non-toxic paint. They taped the dog door closed because Rosalie and Emmett's dog gets out under the fence and digs up flowerbeds, shits in the neighbors' yards, and scratches at Mr. Hamm's garden gnomes. Jacob was actually going to paint them to hide the scratches so that Brutus didn't get in trouble. You've got two remarkable boys, Bella," Edward told her, taking her totally by surprise.

She felt the tears spring into her eyes and the relief course through her body. She knew the potential destruction of which her sons were capable, but she had no idea that everything they'd done on the neighboring street was for a good reason. Hearing someone else remark on it made her very proud of them. She knew in her heart that they were good boys, even if they did stupid things some times.

"They're something else, I know, but I'm glad to hear that at least their methods had some kind of madness behind them. They do some crazy shit, trust me, but I'm glad that they weren't just out terrorizing the neighborhoods because they were bored," she replied as she found herself releasing Edward's hand to dry her tears.

She felt his hand return to her abdomen, caressing it gently, and she couldn't contain her smile. The intimate contact was one that she welcomed, much to her own surprise.

"Well, think about the whole grass cutting thing. If you'll allow them to do it, I'll watch out for them, as I'm sure most of the neighbors will after word circulates, and with the money they earn, they should be able to buy their own bikes," he offered. She hadn't even considered it, but it was a distinct possibility, and she believed that if they earned the money to purchase them, the bikes would mean so much more to them.

She turned a bit onto her right side so that she could look into Edward's eyes, and she smiled. "That's actually a great idea that I never considered before. I think you're about one of the smartest men I've ever met," she offered.

"I like the sound of that. There was no "young" in that sentence anywhere. Now, I hate to be a stick in the mud, but I'm hungry and all of my food seems to be at your house. It's just after 1:00 PM, and the boys should be home in a while. Should we venture over the asphalt and through the yards to your place?" he asked. She sat up with a tiny moan and nodded her head in agreement.

##

As the couple walked out the front door of Edward's house, Bella saw a gorgeous blonde woman on the driveway next door. She was on her hands and knees with a scrub brush and a bucket, working furiously on an area rug. When she remembered what she'd been told about some of the boys activities, she had a very bad feeling about it.

"Geez, who's that?" she asked as she pointed toward the buxom blonde whose ass was swaying to and fro as she scrubbed the rug. She heard Edward laugh heartily, causing the blonde woman to whip her head around and smile at him.

"Come on. This is going to be great fun," he informed as he took her right hand and led her into his neighbor's yard.

"Rose, I see you just can't let go of that damn rug," Edward joked.

"Fuck you. Who's this poor young woman you've obviously injured?" Bella heard the woman ask as she got up from all fours and grabbed the garden hose, spraying the rug down with water to rinse off the shampoo.

"Rosalie McCarty, this is my future wife, Bella Uley. I believe you're acquainted with her sons, Jared and Jacob," Edward introduced.

"I fell out of a tree on my _shoulder_, not on my _head_. I'm not your future wife," Bella offered in response to his comment. The blonde laughed loudly and dropped the hose, walking to where the two stood.

"It's very nice to meet you. Your sons are really great kids. They have some very creative problem-solving skills," Rosalie offered as she extended her hand. Bella shook it happily, feeling Edward's left hand resting on her left hip. He squeezed it, which let her know that he was quite happy that she was meeting Rosalie McCarty.

"The wife part might take some time, but this is my girl. Where's Emmett? I'd like Bella to meet him. She's new to the neighborhood, and she doesn't know anyone," Edward responded without a second thought, in Bella's opinion.

"He got called into the station. That asshole, Charlie Swan, wanted to have an emergency meeting, so he had to go. Happy fucking Sunday," Rosalie responded. Bella felt Edward tense next to her, and she couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

"What's so funny?" Rosalie asked as Bella continued to laugh.

"Um, well, actually, Charlie Swan is Bella's dad," Edward volunteered nervously.

Rosalie looked at her and then she too began laughing. "I'm sorry. I had no idea that the chief's daughter lived in the area. So, um, then you know Emmett?" Rosalie asked.

"No, I don't. I don't really know anyone who works with my dad. I pretty much keep…well, kept…to myself. Since I met this guy on Friday night, I haven't had a minute alone," Bella teased as she elbowed Edward at her side.

"Yes, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Let me know how the rug works out," Edward called to Rosalie as he and Bella cut through the McCarty's side yard to her street and then walked down the block.

"So, you didn't like the 'wife' comment," Edward asked as he took her hand as the pair slowly made their way back to Bella's house.

She thought about her response for a minute, and decided to make light of it and maybe scare him a little in the process to get him to back off. "Oh, to the contrary. I _loved_ the comment. I've been a wife before. Let's sneak off to Vegas next week and make it official, and then we can hurry up and fuck like rabbits and have the first of our ten children next winter."

"I detect a hint of sarcasm in your comment, but I'm all for your plan. I see no need to drag out an engagement, and if your shoulder was in better shape, we could begin making babies tonight after Jacob and Jared go to bed. I think ten is a bit ambitious, but if we're counting the twins, then eight shouldn't be too big of a hurdle. You've got the hips for it, which I love, by the way," Edward commented as Bella saw him looking at her ass. It wasn't the response she expected, but she wasn't done.

"I hope you're not saying I have a fat ass, Masen," she taunted.

"Oh, quite the opposite. You've got a gorgeous ass and gorgeous eyes and gorgeous lips. It's all quite a gorgeous package. Now, where would you like to go on our honeymoon? We could actually firm this up before Alice brings the boys home," he replied, not seeming nervous at all which made her quite nervous at all.

She thought for a moment and decided to make a comment so absurd that he'd finally break and laugh. "Oh, I'm thinking a private island somewhere. I think they have those manmade islands in Dubai. That would be really cool," she replied as the pair climbed the stairs to her front porch.

"Funny you should mention that. Carlisle and Esme actually own a private island off the coast of Brazil. I'm pretty sure that my sister would be more than happy to give us a week there as a wedding gift. So, where do you want to live? I'm buying my house and you're renting, so the logical choice seems to be mine," Edward informed as they walked inside.

The whole conversation had taken a turn with which Bella wasn't comfortable, and she was going to be the first one to flinch. "You know I was just kidding, right?" she asked as she placed her keys on the small table by the front door after she let them inside.

She turned to look at him as he stood next to her, and she waited for him to respond. After a moment, he smiled broadly and kissed her nose. He looked deeply into her eyes, and she knew in that moment that she was in trouble…truly, madly, deeply. "I know you were but you know I wasn't, right?"

He walked away from her and into the kitchen, leaving her standing in the hallway in stunned silence, mouth gaping like a guppy.

##

Alice was true to her word when she promised that she'd bring the boys home in time to clean the garage. Bella was at the kitchen table folding towels after Alice had left and Edward had shooed the boys out to the garage to tackle the mess, and while she wasn't ready to admit she was eavesdropping, she was eavesdropping. She walked to the garage door and cracked it to peek outside and see what was going on, feeling quite surprised at the sight and the conversation she was covertly observing.

"My mom used to ask me to do chores all the time when I was your age, and I bitched about it, too, but I still had to do it. I just figured out it was better to do it and save the fight," Edward explained to Jake and Jared as they were sorting through an old toy box, pulling out pieces of toys that she'd been begging them to go through for a long time.

Edward was putting up a bike rack on the garage wall to store the bikes out of the way. She had bought the racks and hooks just after she'd moved into the new house, and she was waiting for her dad to clear his schedule to put it all up. Unfortunately, that hadn't happened.

She'd tried to put up the bike rack herself before the accident, but the height that she could reach to hang it didn't really get the bikes out of the way, and of course, Bella on a ladder to hang it higher would have proven to be a huge mistake.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Where's your mom live?" Jake asked as he held the trash bag for Jared.

"Oh, my mom and dad live in Chicago part of the year and London the rest of it," Edward replied.

"Wow, that's rough. So you don't get to see them very often? Our mom and dad get along okay, but our dad doesn't live close. He only comes down once a year, but we know he loves us," Jared answered as he looked over to where Edward was tightening the screws to hold the bike rack.

"Yeah, you're lucky. You guys have absolutely the greatest mom in the world. Don't take her for granted. Before you know it, you'll be graduating high school and going off to college or whatever you decide to do, and you won't see her every day. She'll always be there for you, but at some point, you'll see her less and less, so take advantage of being able to see her every day while you can," Edward told them as he hung first Jared's then Jake's bike on the rack. He picked up the packaging that the rack had been in, folding it up and shoving it in the trash bag that the boys were quickly filling.

"You like our ma, doncha?" Jake asked as he put his hands on his hips while Edward picked up the shop broom and hung it on another hook that he'd installed.

"Would it bother you if I said I did?" Edward asked as he picked up a rake and hung it on another hook he'd hung. She wanted very much to know the answer to _that_ question that Edward had laid out for her twins. Jake looked at Jared who shrugged his shoulders and went back to pulling crap out of the toy box.

Jake looked at Edward who had stopped what he was doing to look at them. "I guess not. She doesn't have too many friends, so it'd be good for her to have somethin' to do while we're gone in a few weeks. Grandma 'Nee said she turns into a hermit crab when we're gone. Oh, that means that she don't go out of the house. I had to ask 'bout that," Jake informed him.

She saw Edward smirk at him and then pick up another hook and screw it into the wall. "Well, I plan to keep your mom very busy while you're gone so she won't become a hermit crab. How about that? And, guys, call me Edward," he told them.

Bella closed the door and walked to the counter, grabbing a paper towel because suddenly, she had tears in my eyes, yet again. She wasn't exactly sure what had triggered them, but she was planning to blame it on the medication, yet again.

She finished a glass of tea and walked out to the garage, making certain that the three knew that she was there, and she observed what they'd accomplished in a short period of time. The junk bikes were at the curb because Monday was trash day, and there were two large trash bags next to the already full can.

"Wow, you guys are doing a great job," she announced as she walked down the two steps to the garage floor. Each of the three beamed at her with pride. All she could do was smile back at them. She walked over and kissed Jared on the cheek first, then Jake, and then Edward. When she touched her lips to his cheek, she felt like she'd received a static shock.

The look on his face told her that he'd felt it too. That was the very moment that she knew she was in quite deep, and she didn't know how to climb out. She also didn't know if she wanted to climb out. The hole was actually becoming quite comfortable.

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_**E/N: So, she's not really putting up a lot of fight at this point. Anxious to hear what you think about it. Thanks so very much for reading and rec'ing and reviewing. You have no idea how much we author's thrive on your feedback.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: My goodness, you all are wonderful. Thank you so much for your warm welcome for this story. You'll never know how much I appreciate it. I truly love this Edward and his interaction with Bella and her boys.**_

_**SMeyer owns…I don't infringe.**_

_**Let's get to it…Oh, we're going to work with Edward…and, we're going to meet Jasper…and, things will get a little dark, literally.**_

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5.

"Okay, people. Listen up. I know that we're all young and some of you are new, but we're all part of Team Volt Wireless. They want an entirely new image. Their old marketing firm sent them in the direction of appealing to the senior citizen demographic, but as we found out in our research, today's seniors are more tech savvy than their predecessors, so sales are down. The phones and wireless plans are basic and affordable, so my idea of targeting a younger demographic, like the under fifteen set, appealed to them. Kids between seven and fifteen all want cell phones, but every family can't afford the iPhone or Droid or anything of that caliber. That's where we come in. Now, I want new trademarks, new branding options…the whole spectrum.

"My door is open, but don't bring me bullshit. Everyone in the company expects us to stumble and have to bring in some of the big guns to rescue our asses, and I intend to prove them wrong. Scatter, children," Edward informed his new team that he'd hand-picked from the office and a few contacts he had from his college days.

It was the Tuesday after the weekend that changed his life, and he was in one of the best moods he'd experienced in quite a long time.

When he'd left her and the boys on Sunday night after a dinner of his sister's baked spaghetti casserole, Bella walked him to the front door after he'd stealthily bribed Jacob and Jared to clean up the dishes with ten bucks each, and she kissed him good-night. It was a very brief, chaste, peck on the lips, but it was so powerful that he didn't remember walking home. He believed that he floated home. He also did a thorough examination of his genitalia because he was pretty certain that he'd left his balls at Bella's house. Of course, said examination was actually predicated on thoughts of Bella in his shower with him, so it was really a two-fold exercise.

Monday morning, he stopped by her house to drop off freshly baked cinnamon rolls that he'd gotten up early to go to the bakery to pick up for her and the boys. Alice was there and gave him a pep talk on the way to the car when Bella seemed less than thrilled to see him at 7:00 AM, reminding him that she was still on the mend.

After Alice and the twins left for school, Bella walked out on the porch and called him back inside before he drove away, apologizing for her less than enthusiastic greeting. She'd kissed him gently when he left fifteen minutes later after the two of them enjoyed a cup of coffee, and he'd had a fantastic day because of it.

He had to work late on Monday night on a campaign he was trying to finish up for Larry Burke, one of the senior ad execs for MB Marketing. When he got home, he found that his neighbor, the previously aggrieved Mrs. Sohn, had brand new flower bushes in her front yard. Mrs. Sohn had left a cake on the table on his front porch with a thank-you note explaining that the Uley boys had come over with Alice and replanted the bushes that they bought with the money that he'd given them on Sunday night, so she wanted to thank him for the gesture.

The note mentioned nothing about the money actually having been tendered as a bribe, which caused him to chuckle, but he was very proud of them for taking responsibility.

He called to tell them so, but Bella told him that they were busy working on a project and couldn't come to the phone. He was a bit disappointed until she invited him over for breakfast on Tuesday morning to see them. Breakfast had consisted of French toast, which Bella deftly made with one hand, and when he left that morning, he got another chaste kiss, which made him very happy.

"Edward, there's a Jasper Whitlock here to see you," his assistant, Siobhan, called over the intercom some time later. Jasper Whitlock was an old friend from Dartmouth who had traveled with him through Europe the year after graduation. He was two year's older than Edward, but the two men had always gotten along very well. Unfortunately, when Edward was set to return to the States, Jasper decided to stay in Europe and paint so the two men had lost contact. Edward hadn't heard from him in three years.

"Send him on back. Thanks," he called to his assistant and quickly opened the door making his way to the front of the department where he saw Jasper ambling back to him, eyeing the assistants on his way. Edward could only laugh and shake his head, remembering how much of a ladies' man his friend had always been.

"Jasper? What the fuck man? The last I heard from you, you were in Prague. What the hell are you doing here?" Edward asked as he hurried down the hallway and gave his friend a hearty man-hug.

"I'm here to paint the sights of Pike Place Market for a lady whose husband grew up here and used to throw fish. It's for his sixtieth birthday. I had to make the fucking four hour drive to see how the hell you were. Could you live any further from civilization?" Jasper announced as the two went to Edward's office.

"God, it's been a hell of a long time. It's great to see you, you dick," Edward responded as he sat down at the table in his office near the windows that gave him a view of the minor metropolis of Forks, Washington. Jasper sat down and smiled.

"You look good, Ed. The big two-five is coming up, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. You have to meet my Bella. You'll love her," Edward announced proudly. He knew Jasper would love her and the boys. He wondered what she'd think of Jasper who had always been a free spirit and was used to living a less-than-conventional lifestyle.

"Bella? So, the boy's finally got himself a steady girl? Is she hot?" Jasper joked. He really had no doubt in his mind that Edward's girlfriend would be a beautiful woman because he'd spent a year with him in Europe, and a lot of beautiful women followed both of them around as if they had pork chops tied to their necks.

"She's absolutely stunning. She's got twin sons, and they're great. Fuck, I can't believe you're here. You've got to meet my sister and everyone. This is fantastic. Where are you staying?" Edward asked.

"Actually, I was just going to camp in the woods for a few days. There's enough of that shit around here. I've got a reservation in Seattle starting Saturday," Jasper answered.

"You're not sleeping in the woods, dumbass. I've got a house and extra space. It's a twin bed in a spare room, but it's better than the ground. You can stay with me," Edward responded.

"Now, don't go all gay on me. You were one of the biggest players I've ever met, so don't tell me you're playing for the other team now by inviting me to stay at your place," Jasper joked.

"Go to hell. When you see Bella, you'll see that my player days are long gone. Now, give me an hour and go get something to eat or go hit on one of the assistants so I can finish up, and then we can go to the house. I'm just about done with a campaign, and then I can leave," Edward answered. Jasper smiled and walked to the bookshelf in Edward's office, looking at the pictures that graced the top.

"Who the hell is this?" Jasper asked and then whistled. Edward looked up and saw him pointing to a picture of Esme and Alice at the party for Alice's last birthday.

"Cougar or jailbait?" Edward asked as he perused the artwork that he was supposed to approve for Larry's presentation.

"Hell, if either of them are single, I'll take _her_," Jasper teased. That wasn't exactly what Edward wanted to hear at that moment because he was very protective of his sister and his niece.

"The cougar is my sister, Esme. She's happily married, and she's forty-four. The jailbait is my niece Alice, and she'll be eighteen in July," Edward answered, seeing Jasper laugh and shake his head.

Edward wasn't entirely comfortable about the response, but he was certain he could keep Jasper away from Alice so he wasn't too worried. Jasper was a randy bastard, so Edward knew that Alice wouldn't keep his attention for more than a few minutes because she didn't date and had actually shown no signs of interest in boys whatsoever to the best of his knowledge.

"The fucking gene pool in your family is incredible," Jasper commented as he stared at the photo and traced the image of Alice with his fingers. Edward saw the gesture and determined that he would most assuredly keep an eye on his surly friend when his niece was anywhere in the vicinity.

After the two men stopped at the diner and had something to eat, Edward took Jasper to his house for him to settle into the spare room. He'd spoken to Bella earlier in the afternoon to see if she needed anything, and the tone of her voice left him with an uneasy feeling.

He'd offered to drop Jasper at his house and then go over to hers for a while, but she told him that he should spend time with his friend, and while he wasn't exactly thrilled about not seeing her that night, he tended to agree.

The two men settled on the back deck of Edward's house with a few beers to catch up. "So, how old are her kids?" Jasper asked.

"Eleven. Those two…hell, they're two of the smartest kids I've ever met, but not just book smart. They're very creative at problem solving," Edward offered and then went into detail about the events that had occurred on Bennett Circle since the Uley boys moved onto Abingdon Place.

He and Jasper laughed about the imagination that the boys had put into each seeming-act of vandalism that had actually been based in handling issues they perceived needed to be handled, and after Edward finished his monologue on all things Uley, he saw Jasper looking at him thoughtfully.

"So, what about the dad? Why'd they get divorced in the first place?" Jasper asked. Edward took the opportunity of an empty beer bottle and went into the house to formulate a response other than "I have no fucking idea."

He knew he needed to ask Bella about it, but he'd only known her for five days, and it seemed a bit premature to pry into her life. He'd also neglected to inform Jasper of just how new the relationship really was because he didn't want his friend thinking it was a passing fancy. In Edward's mind, it was anything but.

When he returned with two fresh beers, he could see that Jasper wasn't going to let it go. "Fine. I just met the woman on Friday night when she fell off a ladder trying to get a cat out of a tree. She's like nobody I've ever met, and I'm absolutely out of my once-fucking-sane mind over her. I believe that if she'd actually consent, I'd put our asses on a plane, go to Vegas, and marry her tomorrow. I have no idea about the divorce because the woman's a closed book," Edward confessed.

"Hmm. So, you've fallen for a woman about who you know next to nothin' except for the fact that she's got two kids who sound like they're a handful. Sounds about right," Jasper observed as he sipped his beer.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Edward asked tersely.

"Let's take a little stroll down memory lane, shall we? I remember a few women we met…um, Inga…Kirsten…Gina…Gitta…Maureen…Haysley…need I go on? You were in love with every one of 'em until I dragged your ass on the train or a plane to get the hell away from 'em. You're in love with love, Mase. Don't mistake that shit for the real thing. Maybe you're doin' that same thing with this woman who has kids that are nearly half your age? How old is the young lady in question?" Jasper asked him.

Edward certainly didn't need the reminder of his International Pussy Parade, as Jasper had referred to it at the time. In his mind, Bella was so far superior than all of those women put together that any comparison was actually offensive.

"It's fucking hilarious that you can remember the names of the women I fucked but you can't remember the names of the women _you_ fucked. Bella's nothing like those women, and she's only thirty. Trust me when I say, she's not anything like any other woman either of us has ever met," Edward assured.

Just as he was about to go on into intricate detail with Jasper about the differences between the woman with who he believed he was falling in love and any other woman with whom he'd ever spent time, his cell rang. He looked at the screen to see it was Bella. "Hey, gorgeous," he answered.

"_Duuuude_, that's my mom. That's _so_ not cool. Look, somethin's wrong with the lights. Jared and I looked at the box thing and flipped all those switches and stuff, but nothin' we did worked. Mom's got candles everywhere, and she's cryin' a whole bunch. Can you come take a look at it or somethin'? We can't really do homework without lights. Oh, and don't tell her I called because she'll get pissed. I was gonna call Pop, but she said no. Make it like you just showed up…you know, like you do in the mornings," Jacob whispered to him over the line.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," Edward answered. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what was wrong, and he had no idea what to do about it. There was no suave way to show up at Bella's house without alerting her that he'd been tipped off regarding the problem, so he decided that he and Jasper would take a walk around the neighborhood, and he'd simply hope for the best.

"So, you wanna go meet my girl?" Edward asked as he finished his beer. He saw Jasper finish his and leave the bottle on the deck, standing up and running his hands through his shaggy blonde hair.

"Yep," Jasper answered. The two men walked through the backyard into the Hornbeck's backyard and then turned down Abingdon Place to walk to the end of the block where Bella's house was located.

The whole house was mostly dark, just as Jacob had informed. There was a slight glow from what Edward deemed was the kitchen, which he guessed was from the candles to which the boy had referred, but other than that, it was dark. The two men climbed the porch steps, and Edward knocked on the door.

When it opened, he saw Jared standing there with a small flashlight. "Thank fuck. What took so long? We're trying to study for a Constitution test by the light of trick birthday candles. We flipped every switch thing in that box and nothin' happened," the kid clarified. Edward heard Jasper chuckle next to him.

"First, your mom would wash your mouth out if she heard that language, but where is she? Oh, this is my friend, Jasper. Jazz, this is Jared Uley," Edward introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Jared," Jasper greeted as the young man walked away, leading the men into the kitchen where they saw that a shoe box had been turned upside down and was anchoring no less than two dozen long burning trick birthday candles which were offering the only light in the kitchen.

Jacob stood and held the box up to see who was standing there and whispered, "Thank God."

"Where is she?" Edward asked him. Jacob pointed toward the living room, and Edward walked away as Jasper sat down at the table and began discussing the Constitution with the two young boys in hushed tones.

Edward saw Bella sitting in the chair near the windows, flipping a flashlight on and off in what appeared to him to be a random pattern while staring off into space. "Bella? What's wrong?" he asked as he stood at the entrance to the living room.

He didn't expect her to flip the light on and shine it in his eyes, causing him to shield them from the intrusion. "Christ, shut that off," he ordered as he stumbled over the edge of the rug that was in front of the couch.

"What are you doing here?" she grumbled as she turned off the flashlight. He could hear the sadness in her voice, and it tugged at his heart because he only ever wanted to hear her happy and laughing.

"I was showing my friend, Jasper, around the neighborhood, and I thought we'd stop by so he could meet you and the boys. What's up with the lights? I can go look at the fuse box," Edward volunteered, trying not to put her on the spot.

He heard the sniff in the dark, and he knew that his suspicions were confirmed. "Bella, honey, why didn't you tell me that you needed money to pay your electric bill? I'd have fronted it to you, you know," he told her as he kneeled down by the chair in which she sat, barely able to make out her form in the moonlight from the windows.

"It's not that I didn't have the money. It's that I couldn't send the check until my paycheck was deposited, and by then, I needed to drop it off in person at the electric company. Since I can't drive, I couldn't get there. I'm going to walk there tomorrow and take care of it. I firmly believe that all of the pain pills are out of my system so I can get there and back without falling down and breaking something else. Thanks for stopping by, and I'll talk to you later," Bella sniffled out.

Edward rose from the floor and walked to the kitchen where Jasper was somehow quizzing the boys on their homework by the light of the flashlight, the trick candles having not been tricky enough to continue to illuminate the kitchen.

"Hey, you were going to camp, right?" Edward asked him, an idea popping into his head. He was sure it would be a hard sell, but he knew he'd never be able to go home and get any sleep while Bella and the boys were sitting in the dark.

"Yeah. I've got all kinds of camping shit in my rental, why?" Jasper asked.

"I'd assume that you have lanterns?" Edward asked. Jasper laughed.

"Come on guys. I can quiz you on this shit without the cheat sheet. We'll be right back," Jasper answered as he and the twins left the house.

Edward went back into the living room and picked up a crying Bella from the chair, sitting in it himself and settling her on his lap. "I'm really pissed at you," he told her as he gently ran his nose along her jaw, feeling it wet with her tears.

When she pulled away, he felt her move her right hand to dry her eyes. "I can't imagine why you're pissed at me. I just met you. I'm pissed at me, but that's got nothing to do with you," she responded as she sniffed.

"I know that you think I'm full of shit but I was here this morning, and if you needed a ride somewhere, you should have told me. I didn't have anything this morning that couldn't wait, and I could have taken you, or taken your check, to the electric company.

"We'll rectify this in the morning, but in the meantime, you really need to understand that I'm going to be in your life. You and the boys are coming to my house so they can finish their homework, and you guys can spend the night. I'll call Alice to pick them up for school there in the morning, and I'll take you to fix this problem. Don't fucking do this again, you hear me?" he ordered as he kissed her cheek and pulled her closer to him.

"Edward, don't go all knight-in-shining-armor on me. Believe it or not, this isn't the first time something like this has happened to me. You are in no way obligated to take on my stupid problems as your own. You're a nice young guy who should be hanging out in a bar somewhere, not trying to ride in and save the three of us from my stupidity. I can take care…" Bella began.

"Christ, just stop. I'm not giving you a choice in this, okay. I know that you take care of yourself and you don't need anybody. I get it, okay? Well, here. _I need you_. I need you and the boys in my life, and I'm not going to stop bugging you until you understand it. I've told you that I can be quite annoying, and if you don't think so, then I can sure as hell step up my game," Edward told her as the pair heard Jasper, Jared, and Jacob re-entered the house with Coleman camping lanterns ablaze.

"Okay, we're ready. You must be Bella. I'm Jasper, and I gotta tell ya, I think I have two new best friends. Now, I suppose y'all need one of these to get some things together," Jasper offered as he placed a lantern on the coffee table and walked away to leave the two of them to sort things out.

"So?" Edward asked as he looked at her with hope. He hoped that she'd see that he was being completely open with her, and he hoped that she'd open her heart just a crack to allow him to work his way in. He could see a bright future for them, but he needed her to see it as well.

##

Wednesday morning was chaos. Alice was at Edward's house and Jasper was in the kitchen attempting to cook breakfast. Edward had slept on the couch in the living room, allowing Bella to have his bed, and the boys had slept in the floor of the other spare room after they'd gone through the entire Constitution with Jasper quizzing them. Not one person at Edward's house doubted that they'd ace the test.

After he showered, shaved, and brushed his teeth in the spare bathroom, he snuck into his bedroom to grab clothes, trying not to wake Bella. He couldn't help but gaze at her as she lay on his blue sheets. He desperately longed to be lying next to her, and he hoped that someday…sooner rather than later…it would happen.

He quickly dressed in the closet and walked out to collect his wallet and wristwatch from the dresser where he'd left it the night before when he'd changed after work.

"Shit. You should have woken me. I need to get the boys ready for school," he heard from the bed.

He walked over to where she was resting and sat down. "It's early. They're ready for school, and Jasper was making breakfast when I was down there, God help them. How are you?" Edward asked as he saw her adjust the sling. She was going to the doctor that afternoon, and he hoped that there would be good news regarding her shoulder.

"I'm ready to get rid of this damn thing. Why'd you stop by last night?" she asked him.

He bit his tongue and decided that the white lie was better than the truth, most certainly for Jacob. "I was stalking you. I hoped that I'd see lights on to show off to Jasper that I'm seeing this great girl, but when the house was dark at 8:30 PM, I knew something was up. Now, we'll get this electric thing fixed today. I'll run it by the electric company on my way to the office," he offered, knowing he was going to tear up the check as soon as he saw the amount and write his own check. He'd deal with the consequences of the deception later.

"The envelope is in my purse. I'll get it. I don't have the slightest idea how I'll ever pay you back for your kindness," Bella told him as she sat up in bed.

Edward leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, sweeping his tongue gently across her soft lips. When her right hand touched his face and she opened her lips to him, he felt like he was reborn.

All of the kisses the couple had exchanged up to that point were chaste but wonderful. Feeling her return his kiss gave him a hope he'd been struggling with since he'd met her. He didn't hesitate to pull her closer and kiss her the way in which he'd only dreamed. It was perfect. It was an eye opening experience for him, and it was something that made his dreams seem more attainable.

The only thing in Edward Masen's way was time. It would take time for Bella Uley to get to the point he believed he was, and he didn't know how to make time move faster, but he was willing to put in the time because he knew it would be worth it in the end. She was worth it in the end, regardless of how many hurdles he had to jump to prove it to her. She was exactly what he'd been looking for his entire life.

"Paid in full," Edward announced when he pulled away from her and rose from the bed, leaving the room without looking back because if he did, he knew he wouldn't leave the house that day. He had a lot to do, and in his mind, there would be future opportunities to take vacation days and call in sick to spend the day with her. It wasn't that day, but it was going to come soon.

##

"I need to get out of here by four," Edward told Siobhan. Jared and Jacob had a spring concert that night, and he was taking Bella. She'd agreed to allow him to take her and then after the concert, the four of them…boys in tow…were going for pizza. It was the closest thing to a date that he'd been able to wrangle from his heart's desire, and he wasn't going to let the opportunity slip by.

Bella had gone to the ortho in Port Angeles, and she was rid of the sling and in physical therapy. He'd actually convinced her to permit him to help her with her exercises, and the two had been spending a lot of time together which neither of them seemed to mind.

Jasper was in Seattle with a promise to come back closer to Edward's birthday, and there really wasn't anything wrong in Edward Masen's world that Tuesday afternoon.

As he sat at his desk and reviewed the presentation that his team had put together for Volt Wireless, he was pissed because it all seemed to be a regurgitation of things that had been done in the past. It wasn't his vision at all, and he was trying to figure out how to get the message across to them that he was looking for something completely new and different.

He walked out to Siobhan's desk and flipped the print ad at her. She was older than him, but he knew that she had kids in the target demographic for which he was aiming, and he was desperately in need of fresh eyes.

He saw her give him a cocked eyebrow, and he snickered for a second. "Work with me here. You've got an eight and twelve-year old, right? If you saw this ad, would you rush out to buy that phone for them?" he asked.

Edward watched as she perused it, and he saw her laugh. "It doesn't look any different to me than any other ad for cell service or cell phones. If I had the desire to read that very tiny print at the bottom, I might think about it, but the whole 'no contracts…no hidden fees' thing? Everybody's doing that," she answered as she flipped it back to him.

"That's what I thought. Schedule a come-to-Jesus meeting for tomorrow morning at 7:30. I leave it to you to tell them how much of a failure this is and how I expect everyone to come with a fresh take. I want you at that meeting, by the way. We're going to take a new approach on this account, and I need someone with kids to provide input because we're all clueless idiots," he informed.

She laughed and agreed with him, and as he walked away, he felt like he was embarking on something great. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but he had a feeling it would be big.

He went to the copy machine and made a copy of the copy…well, the ad copy. He walked to Siobhan's desk, handing it to her. "Can I get a favor? Will you take this home, show it to your kids, and ask them what's wrong with it? I'm doing a little free market research here, and I'll buy them a pizza or something, but I need to know what the heck we're missing. It seems dull to me, and I need advice," he told her.

She smiled at him and responded, "You're a very smart cookie. Go to your potential market. I'll sit them down tonight and have them look at it, and forget the pizza. If you really want to get into their heads…movie tickets or iTunes gift cards," she teased. He laughed and nodded, sauntering back to his office and packing up for the day because he had somewhere else more important to be that afternoon.

He had two more demographically desirable consumers he needed to talk to about the ad, and he knew for certain that they'd be brutally honest about it. He was actually looking forward to it.

\\

_**E/N: Did I disappoint? **_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: thank you for reading and reviewing! We're at 100, and I'm so happy!**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No infringement by me.**_

_**\\\**_

6.

Bella was standing at the counter in her kitchen, willing the house phone to ring. Jacob and Jared were on Bennett Circle mowing lawns with the supervision of Alice Cullen, and Bella was waiting for their father to call her back. She'd called that morning, hoping to catch him before he went to work at the mine where he was employed, but Emily, his wife, had told her that he'd picked up an extra shift and had already left for work.

Bella explained to the woman that it was very important that Sam call her that evening, and his wife had promised to give him the message. It was about the time that he should be calling, and Bella wanted to get the call over with because the discussion wasn't one she wanted to have with him. The fact that he was working an extra shift gave her hope that maybe he'd be receptive to her request.

After the entire debacle with the electric company and her subsequent discovery that Edward had torn up her check and paid the past-due bill himself, she knew that she was going to have to do the one thing she didn't want to do…she was going to have to ask Sam for more child support. The six-hundred dollars a month that he sent her wasn't cutting it, and even though she was back to work, she was still on limited duty so there was no overtime, thus cutting into her bottom line.

She'd contemplated having the discussion with Sam the next week when he came down to get the boys for their annual visit, but she decided that maybe it was one that was better had over the phone so that she would be over her anger by the time she actually saw him in person if he turned down her appeal.

While she'd appreciated Edward paying the electric bill because it kept her checkbook from going into the red, she couldn't allow him to continue to help her in that fashion. It wasn't his place to bail her out of her financial woes, and her embarrassment regarding the electric bill made it difficult to spend time with him without worrying that he was judging her. He hadn't given her any indication that he was, but until she paid him back the money she owed him, she wouldn't feel like they were on equal footing.

There was also the issue that the boys needed new summer clothes and shoes, and as much as she'd combed over her budget there just wasn't anywhere to get the money. She wasn't going to her parents to ask for a loan, and she wasn't going to allow Edward to shove any more money her way. She was going to do something she probably should have done years ago, and she felt uneasy about it.

When the phone rang, she swallowed the lump in her throat and answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Bella. Emily said you needed to talk to me. Is everything okay? I was going to call over the weekend, but we got busy. Um, I need to tell you something," she heard Sam tell her.

"Okay, but me first. Um, listen, I need to get the boys new shoes and clothes for the summer and…" she began. When she hesitated before the rest of the sentence, Sam jumped in.

"Yeah, look. I can't come down and take them for the week. Emily and I actually bought a new house, and we're going to have to take that week of vacation to move. Emily's pregnant again, and we need a bigger place. Look, I know they'll be disappointed, but I'll make it up to them somehow. Also, your check is gonna be late because I had to take all the extra money I had to make the down payment. It might take a few months for me to get it back to normal, but I will, I promise. I'm picking up extra shifts, but the extra money is going to help with moving and shit, but I swear, I'll have it caught up by the end of the summer," she heard.

The urge to retch was a strong one, but the need to rip him a new asshole was even stronger. "You're fucking kidding me with this, right? You're having _another_ kid. You've bought a new _house_. You can't take care of the eleven-year old twins you have because you're moving and won't be able to send the support? I was calling you to see if you could send me _more_ money each month, and you're telling me that you're not going to be sending me anything? How in the hell am I supposed to put food on the table and a roof over their heads?" she shrieked into the phone.

She heard silence on the other end, which wasn't a surprise, and then she heard, "_I'm_ fucking kidding you? _You're_ fucking kidding me. What do you do with the money I send you? Goddamn, Bella, I'm not made out of fucking money. You just moved so that the boys could each have their own room, but you'd deny me the opportunity to do the same thing for my kids? You're a fuckin' piece of work, do you know that? If you can't afford the new place, then you should move back to the old one. I'm not supplementing your fucking flashy lifestyle. The money I send is to take care of the kids, not so you can go out for dinners and live in a big house, you selfish fucking bitch."

She was stunned for a moment. The man she was talking to wasn't the man to whom she was accustomed. She had no idea what was going on with him, but there were a few things that she felt the need to take issue with. "You listen to me, you stupid prick. _The kids_ to who you referred are _your_ kids, too. They are eleven, and they were here first. This house costs no more than the old apartment, and I didn't move here because I want a flashy lifestyle. I moved here because next year when they're in sixth grade, they'll be in a much better school and they have their own rooms.

"I know you fucking go to the grocery store and buy groceries, so I know that you know how much a fucking loaf of bread costs. Well, it costs the same for me, and I don't make nearly as much as you. Are _you_ going to call them and tell them that you're not coming because you know it's going to break their hearts? They've looked forward to this since last year, you bastard," she hissed. Just as she was about to continue on her tirade, she heard the dial tone.

She looked at the phone, it taking a minute to sink in that he'd hung up on her, and she slammed the receiver in the cradle, ready to pick up the whole thing and throw it through the window.

When she turned around to the drawer to get a tissue, she was met with a sight she never wanted to see in her life. Jacob and Jared were standing in the doorway, both of whom had tears in their eyes, and behind them stood Alice and Edward. She knew there was no way to play it off, so she blew her nose and turned to her sons.

"Guys, sit down. Edward, Alice, can you excuse us?" she asked. The two nodded and left the room, and she sat down at the end of the table to break her sons' hearts. She wanted to get on a plane and fly to Alaska to kill her ex-husband, but that reminded her of the harsh reality that she didn't have money for new tennis shoes, much less plane fare to commit premeditated murder.

"I don't know how much of that you overheard, but um, your dad can't come down next week. He's really sorry, but he and Emily have to move because they got a bigger house, and the only time they have to do it is next week. He promises he'll make it up to you. Um, he'll call you over the weekend to talk to you about it. He needed to go, which was why he couldn't stay on the line. Look, I'll see if Grandma and Pop maybe want to go camping for a couple of days. I'm sure that their freezer is running low on fish, and I can come for the weekend. I can't take off work again, but I'll…" she began making promises she wasn't sure she could keep, but she knew that she had to do something because the looks on their faces were breaking her heart.

"Ma, it's okay. Look, we need to get showers or we'll be late for this stupid concert, and since Grandma's our teacher, she'll be foamin' at the mouth if we're not there. Don't worry about Dad not coming. We've got two more lawn jobs lined up on Cameron Run, which makes six jobs a week, so we really can't be away either. Its fine," Jacob told her as he got up from the chair, kissed her cheek, and left the room.

She looked at Jared, who had always been the more sensitive of the two, and she swallowed back the tears when she saw his own streaming down his face. She got up from her chair and walked around the table, wrapping her right arm around his shoulder and resting her cheek on the top of his head.

"Please don't cry. I promise you, we'll do something fun this summer. It'll just be a little later in the summer, okay? I know you're disappointed, but sometimes grown-ups have obligations they can't get out of, and that's what happened. I promise you, your dad feels as bad about this as you do," she lied.

"Mom, I know better, okay? I'm only eleven, but I know that Dad's bein' an asshole, okay. It's fine. If he doesn't wanna let us meet our little sister…then screw him. Here," Jared told her as he reached into the pocket of his shorts and handed her four twenty- and four five-dollar bills.

"What's this?" she asked. If Edward had given them money, she was afraid that all of the acrimony she was feeling for her ex-husband was going to be unleashed on him.

"That's our grass cuttin' money. We did all four of the yards on Bennett Circle today," he called as he wiped his eyes on the tail of his shirt and started to leave the kitchen.

"Oh, I'll get a jar and you can put it in there for your bike fund. We can hide it in the freezer like Pop does," she joked trying to lighten the mood a little.

She knew the boys made fun of her father for hiding money in a plastic head of lettuce in the freezer. She'd explained to her father that a head of lettuce in the freezer would throw up a red flag to a thief, but he explained to her that there wasn't anything that would look at home in a freezer that held cash in the store where he'd bought it, thus the lettuce. He further pointed out that he doubted that a burglar who was stupid enough to break into the chief-of-police's house would be astute enough to surmise that lettuce looked out of place in a freezer, which caused her to laugh.

"We don't need new bikes. Use it for the bills or somethin'," Jared called as he left the kitchen. She looked at the money on the table, and yet again, the tears came. She sat down at the table and put down her head, sobbing so hard that she began hiccupping uncontrollably.

She felt a warm hand on her back and a kiss to her temple. "Honey, please don't cry. It'll be fine. You should go get ready because we need to be there in an hour," Edward whispered to her. She wrapped her right arm around his neck and pulled him closer to her from where he was kneeling next to her in the kitchen floor, absorbing the comfort he was offering. She had no idea what she was going to do, but she knew something had to give before she lost her mind.

##

After Bella finally wrestled the boys into their navy slacks, white shirts, and loafers versus tennis shoes, the group went to school for the concert. The boys went backstage, and she, Edward, and Alice sat down in the metal folding chairs on the gymnasium floor.

"Are you excited?" Alice gushed, just as there was movement behind the three. Bella glanced over her shoulder and wasn't surprised to see Carlisle and Esme.

"Hey, Cullens. What brings you here?" she asked.

"We're here to see your guys sing their hearts out. We're really excited. I haven't been to an end-of-the-year concert in a long time," Esme gushed.

Bella was completely stunned by the gesture. It was the first time that they'd ever shown up for anything relating to her sons in all the time she'd known them. She'd noticed that Carlisle had stopped by the reception desk where she had worked all week a lot more than ever before, and he'd asked her questions about the boys and what they were up to since school was almost over for the summer.

She'd thought it odd at the time, but she hadn't commented. She guessed that their presence at the concert had everything to do with the fact that Alice had been spending so much time at her house and with her sons. She also considered that the man sitting next to her probably had something to do with it as well.

She turned to Edward and saw a smug smile on his face while his arm was resting on the back of her chair, his fingers lazily making circles on her neck through her hair. "Mr. Masen, exactly why is your arm on the back of my chair?" she asked trying not to laugh at his overly confident ass.

He smiled the sexiest smirk she'd ever seen, leaned in close to her ear, and whispered, "I'm just staking my claim. I'm letting all the single dads and uncles in the room know that you're taken." She shook her head at his cockiness, deciding that the guy knew no boundaries.

Just then, the third grade came out and the concert began. When they were finished, the fourth grade took to the risers next, and before the fifth grade came out, she saw Edward rise from his chair and make his way to the center aisle, pulling a camera from the breast pocket of his suit jacket.

She saw her dad sneak up the outside aisle and sit down next to her, having pulled up a chair, and when she turned to look behind her, she saw a very large man in a uniform sitting behind her dad. "Hey Bells. Did I miss anything?" her father whispered.

"No Dad. Where's Mom?" she answered. She wasn't surprised that he was late because she knew that he was on duty, and she was very glad that Edward had moved to the aisle to take pictures because she most certainly wasn't ready to explain a young guy hanging off of her chair to her overprotective father.

"She's back stage trying to get a stain out of Jake's shirt. Apparently, he got beaned with a juice box by one of the boys in the third grade and got it all over himself. Anyway, I can only stay for a minute. Why's the doc here?" her dad asked as they watched the music teacher, Mrs. Hayes, try to get the fourth graders to quietly leave the risers which appeared to be a similar endeavor to trying to herd cats.

The fifth grade came out next, and Bella saw that Jake had on a shirt that was much too small for him. She knew her mother had an emergency kit in her purse that likely had a white dress shirt of her dad's and a white blouse of her own for just such emergencies, and she wasn't surprised that her large son was bigger than her father. It was just a reminder that both boys needed new clothes, which brought back the unpleasant conversation from earlier that day.

Mrs. Hayes counted out a four-beat to the kids moving her hand in time to the introduction by the piano player, and Bella saw her nod to the class. The fifth grade portion of the concert started with a John Mayer song, "_Waiting on the World to Change_," which was a favorite of Bella's. The next song was "_Imagine_" by John Lennon, which always made her cry, and the last song was a song by the kid from American Idol…Kris Allen… "_Live Like We're Dyin'_." She was really surprised that Mrs. Cope was that with it to pull off that one.

"That was great. I gotta go. I'll see you guys later," her dad whispered as he left the gym. She saw Edward wave to the large cop who rose to follow her father, and she made a mental note to ask who the man was when the concert was over.

When the sixth grade took to the risers and began singing, she noticed Alice Cullen singing along to the first song, so she was sure it was a pop hit that she wouldn't know because her boys rarely listened to music in the truck. They were usually yelling at each other, so she really didn't need the added noise of a radio in the mix, thus they only listened to music in their rooms at home.

After the concert, everyone filed to the back of the gym for cookies and punch. Renee Swan breezed up from back stage and had a huge smile on her face when she saw Edward talking to Jake and Jared off to the side. He was showing them pictures on his digital camera, and her sons appeared to be excited about the ones of themselves, she speculated.

"Bella, what did you think? They were great, weren't they?" Her mom asked as she hugged her. Bella nodded in agreement and waited for what else her mother was going to say, because she saw Renee watching Edward and the boys out of the corner of her eye.

"They were great. Thanks for the Lennon song. You know it's one of my favorites. Now, explain to me why you keep staring at Edward Masen?" she demanded under her breath. Her mother looked at her with a completely innocent look on her face that Bella wasn't buying. When she cocked an eyebrow at Renee, the woman folded like an origami bird.

"I ran into him at the store a week or so ago, and I might have suggested that he just needed to keep pestering you until you finally gave him a chance. He's an absolute cutie, isn't he? I didn't push him on you, so stop giving me the evil eye. He approached me in the condiment aisle, and he already seemed to know a lot about you. He asked a few questions about what you liked and what the boys liked, and I answered him. Look, he seems to be great with the boys, and they really seem to like him. You should give him a shot," her mom instructed.

Bella believed that her mother didn't push Edward Masen to continue his relentless pursuit of her as much as she believed that zombies lived in her basement. Unfortunately, the whole conversation was moot because Bella found herself falling for the man very much against her better judgment.

"Yeah, well, gear it back, okay? He's a nice guy, but he's six-years younger than me, and I'm just not completely sure that he's ready for me and two eleven-year olds to invade his simple life. Look, I've got something I need to talk to you about. I talked to Sam this afternoon, and he's not coming to see the boys this year," she began.

Her mother hissed at Bella's statement. Renee Swan had never liked Sam Uley, and she was against the marriage from the beginning, but Charlie had been insistent and when Sam's parents, Ida and Harold Uley, had sided with him, she was outnumbered.

She'd predicted that the marriage would never last, and when the couple divorced after three years of not-so-blissful marriage, she didn't hesitate to remind her husband that she'd been right and he'd been wrong. She continued to remind him of the fact at every opportunity when he had the unmitigated gall to question her predictions regarding everything from the outcome of sporting events to whether someone in their town was a criminal or not.

"That jerk. I've just waited on it. I knew that when he got re-married it would be just a matter of time before he abandoned those boys in favor of his new family. You need to take him back to court, Bella. I know you've never asked for an increase in support, but I also know that your wallet is empty a lot of the time. If he can't take care of the two sons he has, he has no business having anymore. Look, do you know why Dad and I rushed out of your house the night you broke your shoulder?" Renee asked.

Bella shook her head no because it was definitely something she'd wondered about over the weeks.

"That man standing over there talking and laughing with your sons is exactly what you need in your life. You've been alone too long, and when I saw him at the hospital checking on you, I knew he'd step up and take care of you. You have to know we'd never just abandon you, but Bella, that man is special. Really look at him, okay?" her mother suggested rather firmly.

Once her mother was finished with her oration, Bella decided that she was keeping the news of another baby for Sam and Emily under her hat for as long as she could. She didn't want to bear the wrath of Renee when the woman found out because Bella had nothing to do with her ex-husband's decisions regarding his family.

She was as surprised as anyone when he told her that the couple was expecting again. Their daughter, Leah, wasn't very old, so the fact that Emily was pregnant again so quickly led her to believe that Sam was no more of a planner than he'd ever been when she was married to him. She also had no intention of commenting on her mother's bullying regarding Edward. Her personal life was not any business of her parents.

"Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you and Dad were interested in taking them camping over the summer. Um, I can't take time off during the week, but I could come for the weekend. We could go to that little place near the lake where they have the cabins. We can do it later in the summer, and Dad and the boys can fish," she suggested.

"Of course we can. Maybe we can go for a whole week, and you and Edward can come join us for the weekend. With the boys with us, it would give the two of you a chance to have some one-on-one time. I'll talk to your dad," Renee answered.

"I think that's a stellar idea. By the way, I talked to a friend of mine who works for the Mariners, and he's getting us four tickets for a game sometime over the summer. We'll make a long weekend of it. Carlisle said that he and Es are going on vacation in August when Alice moves to Seattle for college. Shit, that reminds me, I need to call Jasper and find out when he's leaving town," Edward volunteered as he wrapped his arm around Bella's waist, causing her mother to smile when Bella didn't pull away.

"Why? I thought he was coming back to town for your birthday," Bella responded, settling into his side without giving the action much thought.

"He is, but I've gotta keep him away from Alice. She'll be eighteen in July, and he's twenty-seven. I want his ass on another continent before she moves into her dorm. I'll kill him if he tries anything with Alice," Edward replied. Bella and Renee laughed at his protectiveness just as Jared and Jacob walked up to join them.

"We're starving. Are we still goin' for pizza or what?" Jake asked his mother. Bella could tell that both of her sons were still upset about the fact that their father wasn't coming to visit, but she hoped that she could make it up to them before the three of them ended up living in a refrigerator box in her parents' back yard. She wondered if she should go into her father's garage and find the old six-man tent to check it for holes in case she and the boys ended up living in it. It wasn't completely out of the realm of possibilities.

##

"Hey, are you guys busy on Saturday?" Edward asked as Bella, Jacob, Jared, and he settled into a booth at _The Italian Inn_, the best pizza place in Forks. Bella knew that the boys had chosen it because it was their favorite, and she knew she owed Edward for taking them out.

She saw her sons look at each other and both shrug. "Our weekend is wide open _now_, why?" Jacob asked sarcastically. She was sure that the reason for the sarcasm had everything to do with the fact that their father wasn't coming to get them. She sighed heavily but said nothing. As far as she was concerned, they had every reason to be pissed off. Hell, she was so beyond pissed off that she could have chewed glass without hesitation.

She felt Edward's hand rest on her thigh and squeeze gently because she assumed that he felt her flinch at Jacob's response. "Es asked if you guys would be interested in painting the little garden shed in the back yard. You've been there, right?" Edward asked as the pizza was served.

"Yeah. Alice took us swimming at their place. Um, we don't really know how to paint a building or anything. Our specialty is cats," Jared teased as he waited for Bella to serve him a slice of the deep dish carnivore pizza that they'd requested.

Edward laughed at his joke, remembering Pablo's pink and green coat. Once it had been explained to Mrs. Cope, she'd invested in a glow-in-the-dark collar for Pablo, and the residents on Bennett Circle had all agreed to slow down when they traversed the street in case Pablo or Brutus happened to get out.

"It's not that tough. I'll get you started, and then you guys can take over. The guy who usually does that sort of stuff for them hurt his back or something. Anyway, she's gonna pay you $250, and she'll provide the paint and all the stuff you'll need to do the job. I told her I'd call her and let her know. So, let's dig in," Edward remarked as he cut into his pizza.

Bella decided that she'd take it up with him after the boys went to bed. If his sister was going to pay her sons $250 for some make-work job, she wasn't going to have it.

She'd decided that she was going to stop in at the bakery in town and see if perhaps Mrs. Phillips needed some weekend help. She'd determined that she could work at the bakery as a cashier or even a baker as soon as her shoulder got to the point that she was able to do more. Her sons didn't get out of bed before eleven on weekends most of the time, and the bakery closed at two so she could leave them at home in good conscience for three hours on a Saturday or Sunday morning without too many problems.

When the Uley/Masen brigade returned to Abingdon Place that night, Bella pulled Edward into the house behind her because she was determined that they were going to have a discussion. The day had already been shit, so she decided that she might as well tank the whole thing.

"Shirts in the hamper and hang up those pants," she called to her sons after they said their thank-yous and good-nights to Edward. She went to the refrigerator and pulled out two beers once she heard the elephants on the stairs, and after she opened both bottles, she handed one to Edward.

"We need to talk," she began.

No one in the history of time ever liked to hear those words, especially from someone in whom they had a romantic interest, but it was exactly what the couple needed to do that night because she felt the need to establish boundaries before everything got out of control…or more out of control, in her opinion.

"I don't think I like the way this is headed," Edward called as he pulled off his jacket, having ditched the tie after the concert. Bella saw that he was tense, and in her mind, he had every reason to be.

"Probably not, but we need to set up a few rules. First, I appreciate that you get along with Jake and Jared, but you don't need to go to your sister and solicit make-work jobs for them to earn extra money. I know you heard a lot more of the conversation with Sam than I'd have liked, but I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my family. I don't need handouts from yours," she informed before she took a gulp from her beer.

"You couldn't be more wrong about this. First, Esme approached me about the fact that she wants the shed painted. She asked me if I thought it was something that the boys could handle, and based on what I've come to know about them, I told her hell yeah they could.

"Second, it's not a make-work job. Her guy fell off a ladder…much like someone else I know…and he can't do it. Es is having a party for her garden club or some shit in a couple of weeks, and she wanted the shed painted. God knows, neither she nor Carlisle would ever lift a brush to do it so when she asked, I said I'd check.

"Third, I'm completely offended by your comment regarding my family giving you a handout. If your shoulder wasn't healing, I'd flip you over my lap and spank your ass for that. Do you know how much that hurts my feelings that you believe we think we're superior to you and we have to give you a handout? Fuck, Bella, I have the utmost respect for you, but you must really think I'm an arrogant elitist jackoff. I really don't know what the hell more I can do to prove to you that I care about you and those boys," Edward replied, making her feel horrible for her inference.

She sat at the table looking at him, and she could see the hurt on his face. She'd overreacted, and thus far, the man had given her no reason to doubt him so she knew that her egregious statements were quite harsh, and she wished she could turn back the clock and not make them at all.

The man had only been caring to her and her sons, and she'd done him a horrible disservice for which she felt the need to apologize. "Look, I'm really sorry. I was unfair to you and your family, but I can't, for the life of me, figure out why you're so willing to jump through hoops to help us. I know about the electric bill payment, Edward, and I plan to pay you back. I live up to my obligations, and I'm planning to go to Phillips Bakery on Saturday and see if she needs someone. I'll make sure you get your money back as soon as I can," she told him.

"Why'd you and Sam finally get divorced?" Edward asked, taking her completely off guard. Oh, she knew the question was coming, but she hoped and prayed that she'd have more time before she actually had to provide an answer, but that wasn't the way her luck was running of late.

She took a deep breath, took a drink from her beer, and prepared herself to be completely honest with Edward Masen about things she'd never told anyone before in her life. When anyone, her parents included, ever asked why she and Sam divorced, she told them that they just didn't gel. It was close to the truth, but there was more to it that she'd never voiced, and as much as she'd tried to put it out of her mind, she knew it to be the truth.

"Sam was someone who completely swept me off my feet. He was…is…a handsome man, and I know that I'm a plain woman, so when he was interested in me, I was so in shock that I had no bearings in the whole thing. We dated for six months, and as time went by, we both knew that we really didn't have anything in common, and we were actually about to break up because we were never exclusive. I knew he was dating other girls in town, but I was so surprised that he was interested in me that I didn't care. Just before it all finally ended, I found out I was pregnant with the boys.

"I told him about it, and he and I had decided that I'd have the babies, and we'd give them up for adoption. I wasn't thrilled about it, but I was eighteen, and I had no idea how I'd take care of them on my own. I'd checked into open adoption so that maybe I'd be able to keep up with them, and we decided it was the best thing to do," Bella began.

She could see that Edward was shocked at what she'd told him, and she understood why, but she plowed forward. "Ida Uley found out that I was pregnant, and she called my parents and told them. I was actually going to move to Sequim and have the babies without telling my parents, but once Ida and Harold found out, they demanded that we get married. My dad hopped on board with it, and both of us were too weak to stand up to our parents so we got married.

"Things were fine for a while. We got along well enough, but we never loved each other, and as time went by, it became more apparent that we weren't meant to be together. When we got married, I stopped dating, but unfortunately, Sam never did. It finally got to the point where we just couldn't keep up the charade any longer, and that was when we got divorced.

"I won't take the victim posture that he cheated on me because after we were married, we never had sex, so it wasn't really anything more than a marriage on paper. I guess I thought that we'd grow into it but that was foolish. We got a divorce, and then he moved to Alaska and met Emily, and I guess he finally fell in love. Now, they've got a little girl and apparently, another on the way, and he can't send me child support all summer because he's got expenses," she finished, feeling so totally exhausted that she didn't believe she could get up from the table and go to her bed.

She waited for him to say something. Her mind was screaming for him to say anything because she knew how horrible the story sounded, and as she saw Edward sitting in front of her, not moving and not looking away from her, she had no idea what he was thinking.

She was quite certain that her revelation of giving up her sons for adoption had thrown him for a loop. She sat there waiting for him to get up and leave and never come back because, really, when she put herself in his shoes, she knew she sounded like a heartless, selfish bitch for being ready to just give up her children because it would make her life easier.

As the tears slid down her face, she steeled herself for his impending good-bye and departure from her life, and as much as she'd tried to keep him out, she knew that Edward Masen had a very distinctive place in her heart. It didn't hurt when she and Sam parted. It wouldn't be the same when Edward left her.

"Knowing you as I do, I'd venture a guess that you could have never gone through with giving up Jake and Jared. There's no way you could have walked away from them," Edward replied quietly, much to her surprise.

She closed her eyes at his correct assessment of her personality, and she could only smile. If she ever had a doubt that Edward Masen didn't understand her, it flew right out the window like a canary freed from a cage. "No, I couldn't. They weren't real to me until I felt one of them move inside of me. Once that happened, I knew that there was no way I'd ever be able to let them go. I'd go to hell and back for them, and I knew it the first time I felt one of them move inside me. I'm not a selfish person, Edward. I'm just trying to figure out how to make a life for my sons. Every time I look at them and contemplate the fact that I had ever considered the idea of giving them up, it actually makes me ill," she confessed.

She was surprised when Edward took her hand and led her into the living room of the house, settling the two of them on the couch with Bella's legs over his lap while her ass rested on the couch. He was holding her hand, and she could see that he sympathized with her position.

When she looked into Edward's eyes, Bella saw the one thing that comforted her and scared her at the same time. She'd never seen it in anyone's eyes except when she saw her mother look at her father, but it was unmistakable. She could see that Edward Masen was falling in love with her. It thrilled her and shocked her, and she had no idea what to do with the realization.

It wasn't exactly unwelcomed, but it was something she'd never experienced in her life. Having someone listen to her deepest, darkest secret and then look at her with love in their eyes had her completely speechless. If she didn't think Edward Masen was a special man before that night, she knew better after it.

\\\

_**E/N: So, a little background. Thoughts?**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Thank you for your reviews. Love them so much…**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. Just borrowed them.**_

_**\\\**_

7.

Speechless and head over heels in love was the only way that Edward Masen could describe himself that night after he kissed Bella goodnight and left her house.

When he and Alice had walked into Bella's house behind Jacob and Jared that afternoon and heard her part of the conversation she was having with the boys' father, he could tell that it was bad news. He hated that her sons had heard what a miserable son-of-a-bitch their father was being in the fashion that they had, but when Bella asked that he and Alice give her time to talk to her sons, they quickly went into the living room, remaining silent to listen to the explanation that she was recounting for her boys.

"Uncle Eddie, this is completely awful," Alice had whispered to him. He only nodded in affirmation because he could hear in Bella's voice that she was devastated at having to deliver the news that their father wasn't going to come to Washington to see them.

He knew in his heart that there was more to the story, and when he heard her tell them that she'd make sure they could do something fun, he texted a friend who was associated with the Mariners to see about tickets.

As he settled into his bed later that night, he was wracking his brain regarding what he could do…that she would allow…to make things better for the family that he knew he cared for deeply. Jacob and Jared Uley were two very special young men, and if their father wasn't planning to step up to the plate, Edward Masen believed with all of his heart that he could and would.

When Esme had mentioned that the garden shed needed to be painted before her garden party, he was quick to jump in and suggest that the Uley twins could do it with his help. She agreed with a smile and told him she'd pay them what she was planning to pay the regular guy, and he told her that he'd make certain that it was up to her impeccable standards.

The thing that surprised Edward the most that night, after the comprehension that Bella's financial circumstance was far direr than he'd imagined, was the realization that he truly wanted her to be on his blue cotton sheets again with him lying next to her, panting after making love to her.

He wanted to take care of her and her sons, but he was at a loss of how to go about it without her pushing him away. He knew she was a proud woman, so he knew getting her to the place he was in his heart would be like scaling Mt. Rushmore.

He settled into those same sheets and prepared for a night of no sleep when he heard the thunder clap and the rain on the roof. It wasn't anything new considering the climate of the area, but it didn't give him the usual comfort that he'd found over time. He'd always found the sound of rain soothing.

Just as he punched his pillow again, he heard his phone vibrate on the nightstand and when he picked it up, he was surprised at the message. He checked the time and saw that it was after 11:00, so the text was unexpected.

_I had a bad dream and I think there are monsters under my bed. I miss you. Are you asleep? B_

He smiled as he looked at her comment, and he quickly responded.

_**I'm wide awake and I miss you too. Want me to come and check for you? E**_

He sat up on his bed and waited for her response because after the night they'd had, he truly had no idea where he stood with the woman.

_Would you please? Since you're coming anyway, wanna have a sleep over? B_

Without responding, he grabbed the pillow he'd punched, pulled on a pair of old shorts, and ran barefoot through the Hornbeck's backyard to the sidewalk of Abingdon Place, barely noticing the rain as he dodged the puddles. He trotted down the sidewalk until he reached her front door, and he knocked quickly on it.

When she opened the door in a t-shirt and shorts, he picked her up and carried her inside, kicking the door closed behind him as he kissed her soft lips. He heard her turn the lock on the front door and without letting go of her, he moved them into the living room, settling them on the couch. He pushed the pillow behind his head and pulled her on top of him, pulling a throw from the back of the couch to cover them as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

Her nightmare was the best thing that had ever happened to him. As he felt her melt into his body, he knew that she was meant for him, and it was the best feeling in the world.

##

"You think they _did_ _it_?" Edward heard whispered from the doorway of the living room. He'd intended to leave Bella's house before the boys got up for school, but he'd been so comfortable that when his cell phone chirped an hour earlier, he'd ignored it.

"You're stupid," he heard in Jake's unmistakable voice. He cracked an eye to see the two of them standing in the doorway with backpacks slung over their shoulders, facing each other. He glanced down to see Bella's sweet smile in her face, and he wondered if she'd be pissed that he hadn't left before the boys discovered the two of them on the couch.

"I think we got frozen waffles. Alice should be here in a little while. She said we're stoppin' for coffee," Jacob informed his brother.

"Should we wake Mom? She's gotta work," Jared replied. Jacob shrugged and the two left the room.

Edward kissed her forehead and hugged her tighter to him. When he felt her stir, he looked down and saw her smile at him. "You're better than a blankie or a teddy bear," she whispered against his chest.

While he appreciated her adorable acknowledgment, he felt the need to inform her that her sons were up and had actually witnessed the fact that the two of them had slept on the couch together. He didn't feel the need to inform her that Jared was curious as to whether they'd "did it."

"Your two are up and saw us here together. By the way, have you had _the talk_ with them?" Edward whispered as she pushed herself up from his body with the aid of the back of the couch.

"Sam did…if you could actually call it _the talk_. He told them to keep it in their pants until they were old enough to be able to afford the consequences of it. I was kind of waiting for them to come to me with questions because I really have no idea how to begin to broach the subject with them," she whispered to him.

She sat up on the edge of the couch and pushed her hair out of her face, turning to look at him and smiling gently. "Thank you for coming back over. I was just feeling in a funk last night, and you were better than a glass of warm cocoa," she whispered as she rose from the couch and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.

He captured her around her waist and sat up, pulling her down onto his lap. "I'm available for sleepovers anytime you want to have one. Not to be critical but I don't think I'd wait until they have questions. By then, they've got a reason to _have_ questions, and you might want to head that off at the pass. They're going to be twelve this fall, and I'm guessing that a whole lot of changes have already started for them," he offered.

He leaned forward and kissed her neck, fighting the temptation to place a mark there. That would be one of those things she'd have to explain, and he was pretty sure she wasn't anywhere near explaining it to her sons. He was also pretty sure that they weren't ready to hear it about or from their mother.

Bella turned to him and responded, "Really? How soon does that stuff start?"

He tried to remember back to his own sexual awakening, and the first thought he had was of a Jenny Foster coming back to school after summer break with boobs from which he couldn't take his eyes. That had been the beginning of seventh grade.

"Pretty much anytime now," he answered as they heard the doorbell chime. He saw Bella look at the clock and smile.

"That's Alice. I told her that I'd take them because I'm cleared to drive now, but she told me she likes the company. Can I fix you breakfast after they leave?" she asked sweetly.

Edward looked at the clock and saw that he was going to be late for the meeting he'd called the day before, so he had to decline breakfast. "Trust me. I'd love to but I called a meeting at 7:30 and as it stands, I'm going to be late. Please let me have a rain check," he replied.

"No problem. Have a great day," she called as she rose from the couch and went to answer the door. Alice walked in and saw him sitting on the couch in his shorts, and she shook her head and smiled. He had nothing to offer except a huge smile.

As Edward cut through his backyard to get home that morning, he failed to notice Emmett McCarty in his uniform in the backyard with a plastic bag on his hand, standing up…bending over…taking a tentative step…and repeating the process.

Emmett, however, didn't fail to notice Edward in a pair of shorts, a white wife beater, and no shoes as he strolled through the backyard, seemingly in another world.

"Hey, nice workout duds. What the hell are you doing?" Emmett called as he walked over to the fence that separated his yard from Edward Masen's.

Edward looked down, noticing his unusual attire for such an early hour. He laughed at the fact that he hadn't given a second thought the night before to leaving for Bella's without shoes or proper clothes, and he determined that he didn't really care what the neighbors thought. He'd had a great night's sleep, feeling Bella next to him, and if he had the opportunity to relive the experience, he'd crawl through molten lava for the chance.

"Um, I had to kill a spider," he called as he fished his spare key from the rock bed outside his back door. He'd left in such a hurry the night before that he hadn't even grabbed his keys.

"How big was the damn thing? I saw you hot-footin' it through Jim and Vicky's yard last night about 11:00 with a pillow. Where's the pillow, by the way?" Emmett teased.

Edward had forgotten his pillow at Bella's house that morning because when she kissed him good-bye at the front door and squeezed his ass, he could barely remember his name. The pillow wasn't the only thing that he'd left at her house that morning…he'd also left his heart.

"I forgot it. I guess I'll just have to go back tonight and pick it up," he replied smugly. He heard Emmett laughing loudly as he let himself into the house. He was fairly confident that it was going to be a great day because he'd started it in a way he hoped he'd start every day for the rest of his life…with Bella.

The 7:30 AM meeting that ended up starting at 7:45 AM was tense with Edward tearing up all story boards and copy that his staff had offered. Nothing felt right for the campaign, and he looked at Siobhan sitting off to the side with a smile on her face.

"So, what did your kids say?" Edward asked her.

"It was boring. They'd never fall for it. The phones are boring, and the plan isn't one I'd actually sign up for because my kids text more than they talk on the phone. You're screwed," she offered.

He knew it before she said it, but her articulating his position, plus the fact that his team hadn't brought anything new to the table, had pissed him off.

"We only have a few weeks…_think_ about this. All of our futures ride on this. I've got a meeting. Go…be productive, please," he called as he flopped down in a chair and ran his hand through his hair in frustration at the situation.

##

As Bella was stowing her purse in the bottom drawer of her desk on a rare sunny morning in early June, she was surprised when Carlisle knocked on her open door and stepped in. "How's the shoulder?" he asked as his arms crossed over his chest. He had the ever-present smile on his face, and Bella was struck by how attractive the man actually was. He was forty-five his last birthday, but he looked to be not one day over thirty, in every woman's opinion who walked through the door of his office.

"It's better. The PT is helping a lot. Look, I wondered if you'd dictate chart notes for a few cases today so I can get back into the swing," she asked, hoping he'd agree.

They'd hired a temp to come in and transcribe, but from what Angela had told Bella, the young woman wasn't very good, and they'd let her go. Carlisle had begun making handwritten notes on the charts, and Angela had complained about his handwriting when she reviewed charts. She hoped that Angela would be supportive with regard to getting back into the routine.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm having lunch today with a representative from a software company to automate our charting system completely so that I can simply type the notes in from a workstation in each of the exam rooms. I'll have access to the charts at home or at the hospital if I need them. The hospital is currently automating their system, and they are encouraging the doctors to take advantage of a group discount situation. I was hoping you'd come with me and listen to the guy's pitch," Carlisle asked.

Bella felt the blood drain out of her face. If he was going to automate the charts and records, she was going to be obsolete. She felt the tears in her eyes and tried not to look at him directly because her fears were being realized and that tent in her father's garage was looking more and more like a new address.

She knew she couldn't make it on a salary that she could earn at the Thriftway. She quickly determined that they probably weren't even hiring, what with the economy being so shitty. She'd had one of the best jobs in town, and she believed in that moment that she was about to find out that she wasn't needed any longer. She felt the panic begin to set in, and she felt her stomach begin to roll.

She started ticking off in her head the things that she'd lose…her salary…her health insurance…her 401(k)…and most importantly to her, the friendships she'd developed in the years she'd worked for Carlisle.

In a quick rundown of her options, she determined that at the very least, she'd have to move to Port Angeles and get two jobs to be able to make the salary she made working for Carlisle. Moving the boys again felt completely wrong, as did being away from her family, and she felt like she was going to pass out as the panic set in. She had nearly no idea how to stave it off.

Carlisle was standing in front of her with a concerned look on his face. She knew she needed to answer him. "Oh, sure, I can do lunch. Sounds like it would be quite an improvement. I'll offer any help I can, but I guess I'll need to get my resume together," she replied, hoping she sounded nonchalant about the entire exchange. She pretended to look at e-mail on her computer hoping he'd go away so that she could cry. He didn't.

"Whoa! Hang on there. You're not going to leave me are you?" he asked as he pulled out the small chair in front of her desk and sat down across from her with a concerned smile on his face.

"Well, I'd assume that if the entire process is automated, I'll be out of a job," she answered glancing at him. The one thing that Bella Uley knew about Carlisle Cullen was that he was a compassionate, honest man, and she knew that he'd tell it to her straight, so if there was an hourglass marking off the time that she had left to work for him, she just wanted to hear it from the man so that she could begin making plans. What those plans would be, she didn't know, but she knew she needed to make them.

"Dammit. I should have explained it better. I'm depending on you to head this up for us, Bella. You'll need to train at the hospital so that we can make sure our system is compatible with theirs, and you'll need to train all of us on staff. I'll probably be the worst, you know. Anyway, I want you to head this up for me. You'll be our IT person. I'm going to give you a raise, and I'll knock a wall out of this office or something. I think this was a stupid closet at some point. How do you not have claustrophobia?" he joked.

At his words, Bella wanted to lunge over the desk and hug him. She didn't really care about the bigger office…she was just grateful to still have the job, and if there was a raise in it, she counted herself lucky.

"Oh. Thank you, Carlisle. I was scared for a minute. I'd hate to lose my job because I love working here with all of you. You've all been so supportive of me over the years, and I'd hate to lose that," she answered feeling the tears fall down her cheeks in relief. He handed her a tissue from the box on her desk and smiled at her.

"Bella, I couldn't let you get away because you're very valuable here. Now, I'll have Gail let you know when that guy gets here. His name is Alec White or something. Anyway, we'll go to the diner and listen to the pitch to see what you're in for.

"Now, I understand that my brother-in-law is here for some blood work, so I better not keep him waiting. He doesn't like needles," Carlisle joked. Bella laughed as she dried her tears, surprised to hear that Edward was at the office that morning because he hadn't mentioned anything about it to her.

"Thanks, Carlisle. I appreciate it," she answered as he left. She was doing a happy dance in her head. Even if she just got a dollar an hour raise, it was something. Maybe she wouldn't have to _accidentally_ mail the check for the electric company to the phone company any longer. Maybe, just maybe, she was on the road to financial recovery. It was what she hoped, anyway.

At 8:40, Angela, Carlisle's head nurse, knocked on the door to Bella's office with a sly smile on her face. "Bella, can you come help me in Exam Two? The patient is having a hard time letting me do my job, and I need someone to talk to him and get his mind on something else," she asked. She walked away chuckling, and Bella followed her and walked into the room behind her, finding Edward sitting on the table looking very pale.

"_There_, now can I draw blood?" Angela asked sarcastically. Bella walked over to where he sat and took his left hand, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. She wasn't exactly certain why he was there, but the fear on his face was very apparent, and as many times as he'd been there for her, she was determined that she would be there for him.

"Fine. You love this, don't you? You people are vampires, I swear," Edward complained as he looked into Bella's eyes. She saw him furrow his brow and figured out that he could tell that she'd been crying. She didn't really want to give him the reason because it was moot at that point, but the fact that he picked up on it reminded her of how in tune the two of the actually had become.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked. He was concentrating on Bella and not paying any attention to what Angela was doing, so she decided to tell him what had transpired to try to make Angela's job easier. There was a full day of appointments, and Bella knew that Angela needed to move on quickly, so being the team player that she was trying to be, she decided she'd do anything she could to help. Hell, she was happy it wasn't the Newton kid because that little fucker was a biter.

"I thought I was going to lose my job. We're making changes here, and I thought Carlisle was going to have to let me go, but it turns out I was wrong. Now, why didn't you tell me you had an appointment today and that you were afraid of needles?" she asked him as Angela filled the second vial of blood.

"Oh, yeah, like I need to tell you something _else_ negative about me to add to your list of pros and cons?" he replied. Angela pulled out the needle and placed a small gauze pad on his elbow and bent it to hold the pad in place for a minute while she labeled the vials.

"You have one con in the con column, and it's that you're an arrogant ass. Now, extend your arm and let the pretty nurse put a Band-Aid on your boo boo," she teased as she squeezed his hand. Angela laughed as she grabbed a Band-Aid and handed it to Bella.

"I'll let you do it. I've got Mr. Ivers in the next room waiting for his blood pressure check. We'll call you with results, Edward. Take care," Angela called as she walked out and closed the door behind her with a grin on her face. She'd known Bella for five years, and if anyone deserved to be happy, Angela believed it was Bella Uley.

Bella walked around the bed to the other side of it, lowering his arm to rest on his leg. She pulled off the piece of gauze and turned to toss it into the hazmat bucket near the bed. She walked back over and kissed his arm above where Angela had drawn the blood and then she peeled the backing from the small Band-Aid and put it on his arm. "There. Now, you want a lollipop?" she teased as she went to the jar on the counter where Carlisle had the stash of suckers for the kids.

"I've got your lollipop, sweetheart," Edward teased as he pulled her in for a hug and kissed her sweetly. Well, it started out that way. When he swept his tongue along her bottom lip, Bella couldn't help but open her mouth and suck his tongue inside, tangling it with her own. After several minutes, she knew that they were waiting for the room, so she pulled away from him and smiled at him.

Things had been progressing. There had been dinners with the boys, and Edward had slept over on the couch with her a few times since the night of the thunderstorm, but they'd been yet to take the next step, though they both knew that they wanted to take it.

She was worried because of the fact that she'd had twins at an early age, and she was concerned about what he expected, or was used to, from his women. She was certain she couldn't live up to any of it.

Edward worried because he wasn't sure how to broach the subject with her, being in love with her and not knowing how she felt about him, but he knew she was worth it, and he was trying to figure out how to take the next step. They'd been taking baby steps with regard to their relationship, but the couch wasn't very comfortable. It's only redeeming quality was feeling Bella next to him.

He was at the office that day for his semi-annual screening, and he'd told Carlisle to give him the full battery because if the opportunity ever came up to make love to Bella, he wanted to be sure everything was okay. He wanted to be sure that when the pair came together, there was no reason for worry.

"We need to vacate the room. They're likely waiting for it because we've got a full day. Oh, I can't do lunch. I'm having lunch with some salesman and Carlisle regarding a new project. How about we try again next week?" she asked. The couple had made plans to try to get together at lunch that day, but she was sure he'd understand that she needed to take care of work obligations.

"Fine. I'll make dinner tonight at your place. Call me when you get home so I can come over," he replied as he visibly adjusted himself in his dress slacks.

"Uncomfortable there?" Bella asked as she opened the door and took his hand, leading him back to her little office.

"Just a little, but not anything new when I'm around you. Now, anything in particular you want for dinner?" he asked without elaborating. He was about at the end of his rope with regard to the physical aspect of their relationship. He was holding back so much of himself that he was about to explode, and he didn't know how much control he had left. Taking care of himself in the shower was most certainly a daily routine…often more than once.

"How about some sort of chicken?" Bella asked. Edward smiled and nodded, looking at his watch. She knew that he was under the gun at work, so she knew he needed to get to his office. The fact that he took a little extra time to talk to her made her quite happy.

"I gotta run. I'll text you later," he told her as he stepped around the desk and kissed her again. God, he could kiss like nobody's business in her limited opinion. After a few minutes of not-so-innocent kisses, Edward pulled back and smiled at her.

"I'll see you later, sweetheart. Have a great day," he told her as he walked over to her door and opened it.

Bella shook her head as he walked out, but she got a great view of his very attractive ass as he left. In that moment, she wished that she'd actually seen it naked because the man was so fucking attractive that she couldn't believe that he was spending time with her. In her mind, it didn't make sense.

##

_**Babe – I know I was going to make dinner, but I'm stuck here on an account. I'll call you later – E**_

Edward hated sending the message, but it was a reality. His team had been sequestered in a conference room all afternoon, and no one was coming up with anything new, which pissed him off. He'd removed his jacket and tie, and he was about ready to remove his team.

He'd talked to Jared and Jacob Uley when they'd painted the shed in Esme's yard, and they told him that they didn't have cell phones, but if there was a way to have one that they could afford without putting it on their mom, they'd likely buy it. That got him thinking.

"People, think. You're a twelve-year-old kid, and your parents aren't wealthy, so they can't get you a top-of-the-line cell with an unlimited package. You're the parent…wait. If you were the parent and could afford a phone-to-phone situation for eight bucks a month, would you take on another phone?" he asked his weary staff.

"What's that mean?" Claire Hanson asked as she seemed to perk up. The meeting was draining for everyone in the room.

"Well, I talked to my girlfriend's kids, and they said that if there was a plan that they could afford, they'd pay for it themselves. What if we packaged it as no longer having to share a cell phone? My girlfriend gives her boys her phone when they leave, but what if they didn't' have to? What if the plan was so affordable that the kids could pay for it with babysitting money or grass cutting or dog walking? What do we think?" he asked as he took a drink of his water, waiting for his team, the best and the brightest…or so he thought…to respond.

"My little sister has an iPhone, and she's eleven. I can't imagine that she'd ever settle for this phone, even if we could make it in the shape of 'Hello Kitty'," Dianna responded as she perused her Droid.

Edward didn't really like her closed-minded approach so he replied, "Okay, you can't relate. You're out. Next?"

He saw the woman look at him in surprise, and he pointed toward the door, waiting for the next fool to step up to the plate. If he had to do it by himself, he would, but he wasn't going to nurse a spoiled, rich kid on his team. It was a waste of time.

Bree Tanner cleared her throat. She was shy, but she actually understood what her boss was talking about because she was from the Midwest and her family wasn't wealthy. She felt like maybe she had something to offer, and if it was her time to shine, she was going to swallow her nerves and offer it.

"Um, actually, my siblings would jump at the chance to have a phone like that. If the company would be willing to allow free minutes to a subset of numbers…say your parents, grandparents, a best friend, and then the rest of the minutes played into the fee, and then if they'd lower the price of texting, I could see that my brothers and sisters would be up for it," she responded as she looked down at the table, not looking her boss in the eye.

"There…that right there is what the hell I'm looking for. Thank you, Bree. Okay, we've got a direction. Copy and art get together and work up some concepts by Friday. We'll have a meeting, and if we're not there, then we're all going to be keeping each other company over the weekend. Class dismiss," Edward called to them as they all left the room grumbling about the work.

As he climbed into his car, he checked his watch to see that it was only 9:30, and since the boys were out of school, Bella allowed them to stay up later. Alice was supervising them…because they refused to be babysat…during the day, and he knew it was a relief to Bella that they weren't a band of marauders going unsupervised over the summer.

As he pulled into her driveway, he thought about sending a text to ask if it was okay to stop by, but the front porch light flipped on before he got his phone out of his pocket. He hopped out and climbed the stairs to find Alice in pajamas laughing at him.

"Uncle Eddie, what are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

"I came by to see Bella and the boys. What are you doing here?" he asked her as he stood on the top step.

"Well, you can come in and see the _boys_, but I'd bet you'd rather go home and see them tomorrow," Alice suggested as she smirked at him.

"Where's Bella?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"I believe that she's over on Bennett Circle waiting for you. I _might_ have given her my key," Alice volunteered with a laugh.

"Bye," Edward called as he turned and ran back to his car, not wasting any more time. He heard Alice laughing behind him, but he didn't care. If Bella was at his house waiting for him, he was most certainly going to get there as quickly as possible…though remaining ever mindful of the neighborhood pets that seemed to roam around at night unsupervised.

\\\

_**E/N: Just to clarify…a bit of time passed in case you didn't pick it up. We're moving along in the relationship, though not leaps and bounds. It's still building, mind you.**_

_**Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: I'm so happy that you're enjoying this story. I smile the whole time I read your reviews!**_

_**So, where we last left it, Bella was waiting for our boy at his house. Shall we?**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No copyright infringement intended.**_

_**\\\**_

8.

He pulled into his garage and quickly went inside, smelling the most incredible smells in the world coming from his kitchen. "Hello?" he called as he closed the door and followed the flickering glow of candlelight in his dining room to see the table set complete with wine and candles.

He heard the music turn on in the living room, and he followed the sound, seeing candles on a lot of the flat surfaces. Bella was standing in the middle of the room in a sexy dress with a smile on her face. "I, um, I stopped by your place, and Alice told me you were here," he stammered out because he was trying not to go into shock at the sight before him.

"I hope you don't mind that I basically broke into your home, though I did have a key. I know that you're very busy, and you were so sweet to offer to cook, so since you couldn't, I decided that we'd still have dinner together, though you'll have to forgive me that I didn't cook it by myself. I actually bought a roasted chicken at the store, but I made the sides," she remarked shyly.

In Edward's mind, it could have been a frozen pot pie or squirt cheese from a can, and he wouldn't have cared. Just having her to himself in his home made him very happy. He pulled off his jacket and tossed it on the couch, walking over to where she stood and gently taking her in his arms and kissing her.

In his thoughts, it was most assuredly a step in the right direction to have her take the initiative to be waiting for him at his home. It was another baby step that they'd taken, and he vowed to make certain that she knew how happy it made him.

As his lips met hers, he gently began to sway them to the music which was a jazz CD that he'd picked up on a whim. He determined it would be his new favorite because it was playing the first time they danced together. He felt her wrap her left arm around his waist and hook her left thumb in the belt loop of his trousers. He knew that she couldn't lift it to wrap it around his neck, but he was thrilled that she was pulling him closer instead of pushing him away.

He deepened the kiss as he felt the fingers of her right hand gently graze his shoulder, settling on the side of his neck which felt like a flame had been passed closely against his skin. He swirled his tongue with hers, having wrapped his arms around her waist, mindful of her left arm, and he sunk deeply into the feeling of her body next to his just as he had when he'd had the privilege of sleeping with her on her couch.

The two pulled away, and he looked into her eyes, searching…always searching…for any sign that he was getting through to her and wearing her down. "You have no idea how nice it is to come home and find you here. I enjoy spending time with you and the boys, but I really appreciate having you to myself," he whispered as the two continued to sway to the music she'd chosen.

She looked up at him and smiled sweetly, once again staking a claim on his heart. "I'll get you your own key so that you don't have to borrow Alice's. I hope you know that you're always welcome here, Bella," he whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her neck, gently grazing his teeth along the side of it.

He heard her sigh, and it made his heart beat stronger. He didn't know if she knew it or not, but she owned him. He'd do anything she'd ever ask him to do except leave her. She was everything he'd been searching for, and he'd always told himself that if he found the right woman, he'd settle down. In his mind, he'd found the right woman.

"Just like you're always welcome at my house. I know it's hard with the boys, but hopefully, we'll get a little time when Mom and Dad take them camping in July. I know that's a long time from now, but maybe that's for the best because we haven't known each other very long, and I fear that you could talk me out of my knickers faster than I could blink," she joked.

"God, if only that was the case," Edward teased as the timer on the stove sounded.

"Well, you'll have to try another time. That's the parmesan potatoes," Bella told him as she pulled away, effectively bursting the bubble that they'd been in during the dance.

"Shit," Edward replied as he let her go, much to his dislike. He watched her walk toward the kitchen, and he discreetly adjusted himself. She most certainly caused a physiological reaction in him.

He walked into the kitchen finding the roasted chicken on a plate, the potatoes being pulled from the oven, and asparagus being pulled from the microwave. He took the hot casserole dish from her and carried the chicken and potatoes to the dining room, placing the dishes on the hot plates that she'd miraculously found in the pantry.

Bella came in with the asparagus, and the two sat down at the table. He pulled the wine from the bucket where it was chilling and quickly poured them each a glass, replacing it and pulling out her chair for her.

"This is the most incredible thing I've ever had happen here," he announced as he took his own place at the table while Bella served him dinner.

"Well, I know that you're busy, and I owe you a lot, so I thought maybe a home-cooked dinner might begin to make up for some of it," she offered.

He dug into the food, moaning and groaning at how delicious it was. He didn't care that she hadn't made everything; the simple fact that she'd had the forethought to do something special for him touched his heart and gave him the hope that maybe…just maybe…they were a lot closer to a real relationship like he hoped.

"So, how was your lunch meeting?" Edward asked as he took a drink from the wine, noting that it was one of his favorites, and he knew it wasn't cheap. He knew she couldn't afford extravagances based on everything that was going on in her life, so he would find a way to get the money back to her without her really knowing it.

"The guy is a complete dick. He's all about us loading everything up to the hospital's mainframe, which will cost Carlisle a monthly fee for the space, so I suggested that we talk to the hospital and see about another avenue. I did some research this afternoon and found a company that operates a similar service, but it works in the opposite direction wherein we have passwords to our own server that can be accessed through a web link anywhere in the country. It simply requires the patient number and a password.

"Carlisle is going to call Gwen Cole, the IT person at the hospital and talk to her about it because he thinks it would violate HIPPA laws for all of our patient files to be sitting on the hospital's server considering that some of our patients will never have a need to go to the hospital," Bella responded excitedly.

Edward didn't understand much of what she was talking about, but seeing the light in her eyes about it made him very happy. "That sounds great. How involved will this project be?" he asked, trying to show her that he was completely attentive to what she was telling him.

"The deadline to hop on the hospital's coattails is just before Thanksgiving, but if this other company works out, it would need to be extended to after the New Year at least for all of the doctors to make their own decisions and implementation. How'd your meeting go?" she asked him as she ate her dinner.

She was quite pleased that he seemed so happy about the initiative she'd taken. She'd worried about invading his space for a hot minute, but after a discussion with Alice, she knew it would be okay, and she hoped it would be encouraging to him. She hoped it would show him that she wanted more with him than just being friends. She had enough friends…she needed a man, and the man she'd finally set her cap for was Edward Masen.

"Ugh. I had to kick off some spoiled brat from my team, but that's okay because this girl, Bree, gave me a direction to go. I've got a question, and then we're done talking about work. I know you have a cell, but if there was a service out there that the boys could afford on their own, and you could dump your phone and pick up a cheaper one that allowed them to have unlimited calls and texts with you, would you make the jump?" he asked.

He knew that her funds were limited, and he was so tempted to just put the three of them on his plan and buy them phones, but he knew he'd pushed his luck with Bella enough, and he didn't want to shoot himself in the foot by taking the step without her permission.

"What would the plan offer and how much would it be?" she asked as she took a sip of her wine.

"Okay, here's what we're thinking. Basic phone with texting capabilities…no data or pictures, but you'd get five fixed numbers that wouldn't burn your minutes, and then the minutes you'd pay for would be stepped…you know, a hundred a month…two fifty a month…five hundred…and so on. You could call and text your mom and dad, Jared, Jake and me for free, and then anyone else would use your minutes. It's a prepaid situation, so you wouldn't run over your minutes, but you'd have no contract and no extra fees. The cost would be in the $8 - $10 a month range. Would you consider it?" he inquired, clearly valuing her opinion.

"You mean I could have a cell and the boys could each have a cell for half the price that I'm paying for my cell now? Hell, I'd jump on that in a heartbeat. How much would the phones cost?" she asked because in Bella's mind, there had to be a catch. There was always a catch.

"The initial roll out would price the phones at $20 each. After the program catches on, they'd go up to $25, I think, but the price for minutes wouldn't change. The only thing is that you have to keep up with your minutes and make sure you pre-pay for minutes when yours wind down. Is that too much?" he asked as he cleaned his plate and refilled their wine glasses, happy for her insight.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Bella and her boys was his target demographic for Volt. She was living on a limited income with two adolescents in her household, and he believed that many people in her position would feel the same way as she. That was why it was so important to get her insight.

"Well, I mean, no. It wouldn't be too much, but would Mom and Dad have to buy the phones in order for us to be able to use our free minutes to call and text them? I don't know if people want to carry around two cell phones," she suggested.

That was something he hadn't considered. Would he want to juggle two cell phones in order to be able to talk to Bella, Jake, and Jared, plus have the freedom his Blackberry offered him with its expensive calling plan? That was worth exploring with Volt.

"That's something I have to talk to Volt about. If they could work in a partnership deal with some of the big providers, maybe not? That's a very good question. Okay, enough on that. How's your shoulder?" he asked, changing the subject from business because it was definitely killing the romantic mood that Bella had set for their dinner alone.

He didn't know how much time he had with her before she had to go home, and he certainly didn't want to waste it talking about business. They could do that with the boys around anytime.

"Um, it's good. I've been keeping up with the PT at home, and I'm ready to add the weight training that Al suggested," she answered. Edward had heard her speak of Al as the hot physical therapist who came into Carlisle's office once a week, and he was determined that he'd show up one day when the guy was there to check him out because Bella seemed to really like him, and it set Edward's jealous streak aflame.

"I've got weights if you need some. There's no need to go buy any," he suggested. He had a full set of free weights in his garage along with a weight bench because he didn't go to a gym. With the key he planned to give her, she could come over to his house and work out without any fancy equipment and hopefully, he'd be there to spot her…he'd spot her on anything she wanted to do.

"That's very sweet of you, but I can use cans and water bottles to start with. That's one of the good things about Al…he's not in favor of going out and buying a lot of shit because he says that there are household items that work just as well as expensive weights," Bella responded as she pushed her plate away and took a sip of her wine, feeling completely full from the dinner.

"Yeah, I bet. So, um, this weekend…are you three busy? My friend has tickets for the Mariners' game, and I thought we could take Jake and Jared to Seattle. If you can't do it this weekend, we can do it later, but I know that they'd like to go," Edward volunteered, changing the subject from the hunky physical therapist about which he knew nothing except the fact that Bella thought the guy was great.

"I think we should be free…but let me check with my entrepreneurs because they're trying to expand their business. Do you know that they've got four hundred dollars saved from cutting grass? I'm so proud of them," Bella gushed.

Edward knew that the boys gave her their grass cutting money for bills because Sam, the stupid fuck, wasn't sending child support, but he also knew his girl well enough to know that she wasn't taking it. She was saving it for them, and he loved her even more for it. What she was sacrificing, he didn't know, but he was sure it was something for herself.

That night wasn't the night to have a discussion regarding her finances, but in Edward's mind, it was coming sooner rather than later, regardless of the fact that they'd only been dating a month. He knew that the boys needed things and that no one in the Uley family ever complained about having things like cable or expensive video games, but he was determined to help them somehow…someway. He just had to figure out what he could do without upsetting her.

After dinner, the pair cleared the table and settled on the couch in the living room with the rest of the bottle of wine. "Can you stay or do you need to go home? I'll wake you up early enough to get home before the boys wake up," Edward suggested as Bella settled into his shoulder with his arm around her, gently making circles on her bare skin which caused goose flesh to erupt all over her body…along with the ever present fire that his touch brought.

"That's so tempting, I swear, but I need to get into the office early in the morning, and I really don't want to do the walk of shame through your neighbor's yard, plus, if Emmett McCarty sees me, I'm sure he'll tell my dad," Bella answered, hating every word that came out of her mouth. Responsibility and decorum sucked.

"Where are we going here, Bella?" Edward asked apprehensively. The couple hadn't known each other very long, but he felt like he needed some sort of a barometer as to what she felt about the relationship because in his mind, they were treading water and that was fucking unacceptable. He needed something to gauge where she was in the relationship so he'd know how to proceed.

Bella felt her face glow because it was exactly what she was thinking herself, but she didn't have the guts to ask. She admired him for his backbone at asking the risky questions, and she had to think how in the world to answer so that she didn't set herself up for heartbreak if he wasn't where she was in his feelings.

"I, um, I care about you very much, but I worry about you tying yourself to an older woman with two kids. You're young, and you've got so much life to live. I don't want to hold you back, but at the same time, I don't want you to go anywhere," she answered as honestly as she could.

"There's that word again. I'll be twenty-five next weekend, Bella. I've been honest that I have feelings for you, and I want you and the boys in my life. Maybe I don't know everything about the life you've led, but I want to know everything about you. I'm just waiting for you to open up to me. I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart," he answered her as he shifted the two of them on his much more comfortable couch, all the while wishing it was his bed.

She shifted on top of him and kicked off her shoes, settling her head on his chest and playing with the placket on his dress shirt as she searched her mind for how to answer him. There were two ways to go…lie like a fucking rug and tell him she was in it for a good time and an easy distraction or tell the man the gospel truth…she was falling in love with him.

In that moment, she decided that maybe it was the wine in her system that was causing her to want to tell him the truth, but if he was going to run, it was better if he did it early on rather than later when she and her boys had gotten used to him being around.

She took a deep breath and turned her head to look into his gorgeous green eyes. "Well, I'm not quite sure where we're _going_, but I know where I am right now. I'm in love with you, and I don't really know what to do about that," she answered honestly.

She rested on top of him and waited for anything to come out of his mouth because, if she was being honest with herself, she hated that she'd tipped her hand, but she wouldn't lie to him. It was how she felt, and she thought telling him was the truest test. If he kissed her and then showed her the door, then she knew where she stood. The waiting was the hardest part.

"_Yes…yes…yes…yes,"_ Edward thought to himself as he listened to what Bella had told him. He knew in his heart that he loved her, but he'd been afraid to tell her because everything about her told him she'd bolt like lightening at his proclamations. When she told him she loved him, it was all he needed to hear and all bets were off.

"God, finally. I've wanted to tell you that I love you since nearly the first day I met you. I know it sounds foolish and immature, but that's how I feel. I'm so fucking grateful that you're there with me. Just hearing you say it seems to settle my whole world, Bella," Edward told her as he gently pulled her up his body until she was eye level with him, lying flush against him.

He didn't even care that she could feel that he was hard under her. That wasn't something that was going to stop or go away, so the two of them might as well get used to it. He gently brushed his lips against hers as his left hand rested on her ass and his right hand held firmly to her soft cheek.

He gently wove his fingers into her soft hair and turned his head slightly, sucking her top lip into his mouth because it was too inviting not to. He smiled against her lips when her tongue swept over his bottom lip, and he didn't hesitate to suck it into his eager mouth, tasting the wine and her own sweet taste, which was intoxicating enough.

He felt her right hand graze the back of his neck as she held him to her while her left hand rested on his shoulder. He moved his hands to her gorgeous ass and pulled her into his hard cock, grateful for the friction and eager to know when they could take the next step which he saw as naked on his blue sheets while he made love to her.

Just as he was about to pick her up and carry her to his bed, her phone chimed somewhere in the distance. Bella pulled away and looked at him with a smile. "That's my alarm. I need to go home. I don't want to, please know that," she told him as she tried to climb off of him.

Edward didn't want to let go of her. He felt like they'd actually taken a giant step that night, but part of loving Bella was understanding that she had obligations that she had to honor, and he wasn't about to make her feel bad about them. Her sons were her priority, but he knew that she had the capacity to love him as well because she had the biggest heart of anyone he'd ever met.

"I know you do, but for the record, I don't want you to go. Now, let me walk you home," he offered as he picked her up from on top of him and placed her on her feet, knowing that the position they were in would be a difficult one for her to extricate herself from with only one good arm.

After they slipped on their shoes and Bella had used the restroom, Edward took her hand and walked her over to Abingdon through the neighbors' yards, hearing dogs barking in the distance. Once they hit the sidewalk, he wrapped his arm around her waist and rested his cheek on the top of her head, considering for the first time how tiny she really was and wondering how on earth she'd given birth to the twin boys who were nearly as tall as he.

"I love you, Bella," he told her as they slowly strolled up Abingdon Place. It was a nice early summer evening with a cloudy sky, but to both of them, it was perfect.

"I love you, too, Edward. You know, you can stay at my place if you'd like. You can slip out when I go to work," Bella suggested, not at all ready to be away from him.

She heard him laugh as his hand swatted her ass in front of Mr. Langston's house. "What?" she asked quietly.

"I didn't lock my house, and you could have told me that before we left my place so I could have grabbed pajamas," he informed as he kissed the top of her head.

"Run back and lock it. I'll wait here. And, by the way, who said you needed pajamas?" she replied saucily.

Edward stopped the two of them on the sidewalk and turned her to look into his eyes. "Are you serious?" he asked apprehensively. He didn't know if she knew what he hoped she was asking, so he was being very cautious.

"Hell, the only felons in Piney Woods are out like a light, and you live next door to a cop so I doubt anyone will disturb your house. And, about the pajamas? I'm very serious," she responded concisely. All hesitation about the next step was gone. The only thing she worried about was him seeing her naked, but it was going to happen eventually, so why not that night?

"Oh, you are a devious one, Mrs. Uley. Come on, let's go to bed," he insisted as he hurried the two of them up the sidewalk to Bella's front porch. When they walked inside, he saw Alice asleep on the couch, and he stopped in his tracks, not sure how to proceed.

##

"Come on," Bella whispered as she took his hand and led him up the stairs and down the hallway to her room, closing the door behind them. She walked over to her nightstand and flipped on the soft light, and she turned to look at him with a smile as she stood next to the bed.

"Um, so, I guess you need to take off your clothes," she suggested because he seemed frozen in his spot by the door.

"Bella, are you sure you…wait, do you have any condoms?" he whispered, mindful of the fact that her boys were in the bedrooms on either side of hers.

"Don't guys carry them in their wallets or something?" she asked as she slowly walked over to where he was standing like a magnificent statue. She saw the frown take over his features in the dim light, and she had no idea what was wrong.

"I haven't carried condoms for a while, and I certainly didn't expect that we'd be taking this step tonight when I got home from work. I don't even have any at my house," he admitted as he took her hands and placed them on his chest with his covering them with his own to hold her in place.

"Oh. I guess I didn't really think about it. I don't have any either. We can, um, do other things until we get some…unless you don't want to. Look, just so you know, Sam was the only guy I was ever with, and that's been a long time ago.

"We didn't have sex very often before I got pregnant, and we didn't have it at all after we got married, so I'm not very experienced. I'm sure that's not the case for you, so I don't want you to be disappointed if I'm not as good at it as the other women you've been with. It's kind of pathetic that I'm thirty-years old and have so little experience, but that's what you're working with," she admitted as her thumbs gently moved against his dress-shirt covered chest.

Edward wasn't really surprised by her admission, and he certainly wasn't sorry to hear it either. It didn't bother him that she hadn't been with a string of men after her divorce from Sam. He wished he hadn't been with as many women as he'd been with in the eight years he'd been sexually active, but he couldn't turn back time and change the situation, so he decided not to dwell on it, but he was going to be honest with her.

"Bella, I've had about ten partners over the years, but I've never been in love with any of them, so this situation is completely new to me. I hope it doesn't bother you, and trust me, if I knew that you were in my future, I'd have certainly waited for you. It's too late to change my history, and I truly hope it doesn't cause a rift between the two of us. Please tell me if this is going to be a problem," he beseeched.

"I won't lie and say that it hasn't crossed my mind, but it won't bother me. Now, you have to understand that at the ripe old age of eighteen, I carried those twin giants in the other rooms. My body isn't taut like a girl of twenty-five any longer. I wish it was, but it's not. I don't know what you expect with regard to seeing me naked, but I'm worried that you'll be disappointed," she further confessed.

Edward pulled her closer to his body and wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, hoping to allay her concerns because he was quite sure that seeing her naked would be far superior to anything he'd fantasized about when left to his own devices.

When he pulled away, he reached up under her hair and slowly pulled down the zipper at the back of her dress. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met in my life. I'm quite certain that your beauty doesn't end at your neck, Bella," he told her as he slipped the dress from her shoulders and watched it fall to the floor. He took in the sight of her in her a tan bra with matching panties, and he most assuredly wasn't disappointed.

She was soft and curvy, just the way a woman should be in his opinion, and not one bone in his body was disappointed. He felt her unbuttoning his shirt, and he was happy that they'd seemed to reach an agreement that they weren't going to go into the first steps of the physical side of the relationship with any preconceived notions.

As soon as the buttons were open, he felt her slip the shirt from his shoulders, so he quickly unbuttoned the cuffs and pulled it from his navy dress slacks, tossing it on the bench at the end of her bed.

In no time, he was standing in only boxers as he took in the sight of her still in her bra and panties. He took her right hand and led her to her bed, gently placing her in the middle and climbing on beside her, hovering over her tiny frame with a smile on his face.

"You're a beautiful woman, and I'm so damn happy that you're mine. If you'd prefer to turn the light off _this time_, we can, but I vote we keep it on," he told her…or rather her chest as he kissed from left to right, nipping the soft skin along the way.

She thought about his comment, and decided to dive in head first. "No, we can leave it on," she responded as she sat up a bit so that he could reach behind and unlatch her bra. She felt the hook give way, and when he took the right strap in his teeth and pulled it down her arm, she felt a shudder deep inside. It was the most sensual movement she'd ever experienced, and she knew in that moment that sex with Edward Masen was going to be nothing like anything she'd experienced in the past.

She quickly tossed aside the memories of unfulfilled encounters with Sam in order to open her mind to the man who was showing her a completely different way to experience physical pleasure.

After he tossed her bra over his shoulder, she resisted the urge to cover herself with her hands, instead winding them in his hair and pulling his mouth to hers for a searing kiss. Feeling his bare chest against her breasts lit her body on fire, and his slow, languid kiss only threw fuel on the flame.

##

Edward felt soft kisses on his neck and chest, and at first, he believed it was the best dream he'd ever had. When he felt a bite on his left nipple, his eyes sprung open and focused on the brunette hair that was covering his chest. It was then that he remembered that the night before had been a wonderful first step for he and the beautiful Bella Uley, and he was extremely happy at the prospect of many more firsts between the two of them.

_After he worshipped her beautiful breasts, hearing her moan as he swirled his tongue around first one nipple then the other, he pulled away and looked into the chocolate pools that he adored. _

"_You're the one dictating how far we go, Bella. I'd really love to kiss all over your gorgeous body, but I leave it to you how far you are comfortable with going. If this is as far as you'd like to go tonight, I'm perfectly happy just holding you next to me," he whispered._

_He was surprised when she pushed him off of her with her right hand and sat up, grabbing the waistband of his boxer briefs and attempting to whisk them down his body. He quickly lifted his hips to assist her, and when she had them off, she climbed on top of him, settling on his thighs where she proceeded to kiss down his chest until her tongue swept across the head of his erection, shocking him at her boldness._

"_Baby, you don't…Oh, God," he gasped as she took him into her mouth and actually swallowed the head of his cock causing the most incredible sensation that he'd never experienced in his life._

_He resisted the strong urge to thrust into her mouth because, if he was being honest with himself, it was actually the best head he'd ever received. He fisted the comforter on her bed, and reminded himself that he needed to be quiet so as not to awaken her sons, and he settled on his elbows to watch her bobbing her head up and down his hardness until the sensation overtook him so that he had to close his eyes._

_After several minutes, he felt he was climbing the ladder of the high dive, and there were only a few more rungs until he dove off into the deep pool of release. "Bella, gah, I'm about to come," he gasped in warning. When she moved her left hand down to his balls and gently rolled them in her hand, he could hold back no longer, and he hoped that she was ready for what he was unable to stop._

"_Fuck," he whispered as he let go in her mouth, praying that she didn't get upset. He watched her sit up and swallow, and he was in shock. She smiled at him as she climbed from the bed and went to the master bath in her bedroom. _

_He wanted to get up from the bed and pull the comforter down so that they could climb in and he could give her the gift she'd just given him, but he was so thoroughly spent that he couldn't move. He heard her gargle and spit in the sink, and after the water ran for a moment, she returned to the bed, tugging his hand to get his attention._

"_Get up, handsome and let's turn down the bed so you can pass out," she suggested. He summoned all of his strength and rose from the bed, pulling the comforter and sheet back and quickly falling back into the bed, pulling her in with him._

"_God, give me a minute, and I'll gladly return the favor," he told her as he stifled a yawn. The last thing he remembered was her cute giggle as she settled into his side to sleep._

"Mmmm. I could certainly wake like this every day of my fucking life," he whispered as his hands pulled her up to his mouth to kiss her neck, mindful of the fact that he hadn't brushed his teeth.

"Yes, well, I hate to pull a sub on this wonderful encounter, but it's 6:30, and I've got to wake the boys in thirty minutes, so I'm afraid I have to throw you out, Mr. Masen," she responded quietly.

Edward settled his hands on her panty-clad ass and smiled. "How'd these not come off last night?" he asked.

She chuckled. "Apparently, after a blow job, you pass out like a drunken frat boy," she teased. That was not okay with Edward, and with thirty minutes, he knew exactly what he needed to do.

"Well, then let's see what we can do about that," he responded as he sat up, taking her with him and pulling her panties from her body in one swoop. He gently rolled her on her back and proceeded to recreate the magic on her body that she'd created on his the night before which had left him happily zapped and satisfied.

When his tongue found its place inside her body, she squealed and pulled away, causing him to look up her body into her eyes to see what was wrong. "What?" he asked.

"I've just…I've never, um…" she stammered.

"You mean Sam never…" he began. She quickly shook her head no that he never had.

"Selfish bastard," Edward remarked as he pulled her back down and went right back to what he was doing with every intention to make her first time experiencing oral pleasure as memorable as he could. He pulled out all of his best moves, inserting first one finger and then another into her tight center, making a mental note that when the time came for the "deed," he would be a very happy boy.

He sucked on her bundle of nerves and worked his fingers to find the place deep inside her, curling them to reach the spot that he was sure would send her over the edge in record time. After five minutes, he wasn't disappointed.

She squealed a bit and then he tasted the release he'd been seeking, feeling quite smug at his victory. He pulled his fingers out of her center and wiped his mouth, kissing his way up her body, stopping for a moment to notice a scar under her navel. "What's this?" he asked as he kissed along it, tasting her skin again and enjoying her natural scent mixed with the smell of her arousal.

He saw her sit up and look down her body into his eyes. "Oh, I had a C-Section with the boys. That's the scar. See, I told you that my body wasn't like a twenty-five year old," she commented, looking embarrassed.

Edward kissed his way across the scar again hoping that she knew understood that it didn't bother him at all. He then kissed his way up her body and settled next to her to look into her flushed face. "So, um, did I live up to your expectations?" he fished, hoping she'd enjoyed it as much as he'd enjoyed doing it to her.

"Considering I had no expectations, I'd say you exceeded them quite nicely," Bella cooed as he kissed along her neck and finally settled at her soft lips.

He knew he needed to dress and leave, but nothing in him wanted to be away from her. It was going to be a long day for Edward Masen, especially since he had no idea when they might be able to get together again. It was one of the perils of dating a mom…she had priorities that he had to respect, and unfortunately, he wasn't at the top of the list.

\\\

_**We got the 'I love you's' and a little bit of citrus. Thoughts? I'm truly so appreciative for those of you who are reading. I don't draw a large crowd, but I've got a steady one to which I'm quite grateful!**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: You lovelies are so wonderful. Thank you for your reviews! I love hearing from you.**_

_**Let's jump in, shall we? There might be a bit of citrus in this chapter as well…**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No infringement from yours truly.**_

_**\\\**_

9.

"Guys, I've got a question," Edward asked as the Uley boys showed up to mow his lawn that Friday afternoon. He'd had the best day of his life, having spent the night with their mother the night before and successfully sneaking out of the house with them none the wiser.

Jacob had retrieved the lawn mower from the McCarty's garage while Jared was manning the weed whacker. They both stopped before they got started and walked over to the porch where Edward was drinking a soda, looking at presentations that his team had given him earlier in the day.

"What's up?" Jake asked as he sat down next to Edward on the steps. The boys had agreed that they liked the man, and they believed he liked their mother, so they'd try to get to know him better. Neither of the boys wanted their mother to be lonely, and they knew that since Edward had started coming around her, she'd been in a far better mood which meant that things at home were far less tense.

Both boys were happy about the smile they saw on their mother's face when the guy was around, so they determined that they wouldn't treat him the way some of their friends mentioned they'd treated boyfriends or girlfriends of their single parents.

"Well, here's the deal," Edward began, explaining the new campaign strategy that his team was pushing. He showed them the artwork and laid out the plan that he was nearly ready to present to Volt Wireless.

"So?" Edward asked after he explained about the reworked campaign.

"You know what would be cool? If parents could just go to a website to add minutes to the kids' accounts after the kids ponied up the cash so that it was easy and the parents wouldn't mind doin' it. On the site, they could advertise stuff for sale to go with the phone and have specials and even maybe games. You know, like create an avatar, like a lightning bolt…get it, Volt Bolt…and it could go through mazes and crap like other video games. If you reached certain levels, you earn extra minutes or more texts," Jacob suggested.

Edward jumped from the porch and exclaimed, "That's fucking brilliant! They could partner with fast food restaurants and different companies that sell shit kids like, and it would be an incentive for kids to go to the site to explore what new options the company offers or push their parents to go online. God, that's incredible. Okay, um, don't cut anything but the grass, and come inside when you're done. I've got work to do, and we're leaving as soon as your mom gets home."

"Where are we going?" Jared asked. It was then that Edward remembered that neither he nor Bella had told them that they were going to Seattle for the Saturday afternoon game between the Mariners and the L.A. Dodgers.

"Seattle. We're staying at the Silver Cloud Hotel across from Safeco Field. There's a rooftop pool and restaurants. It's nice. We've got adjoining rooms, and our seats are right behind the home team dugout. Let's get done before your mom gets home so we can pack and get on the road," Edward suggested.

He went inside and settled into his office, pulling out his laptop and shooting off an e-mail to the members of his team regarding the new ideas that the boys had inspired. He set up a meeting on Monday morning, and then he went to his room and packed a bag for the weekend away with the Uley family.

As he packed, he made certain to toss a few condoms into his valet kit in case the opportunity presented itself because while the rooms were adjoining, there was a door that could be closed. He hoped that the boys would be okay with him and Bella sharing the room, but he was prepared to keep things PG if necessary. Just holding her in his arms for the night would be fine for him if that was all he could get.

##

"How was the meeting?" Carlisle asked Bella as she returned from the hospital that Friday afternoon.

She'd had a very boring day after the spectacular morning that Edward had provided, and she was quite anxious to get home because the four of them were going to Seattle for the Saturday afternoon game. She'd stopped by a little boutique on the way from the hospital and picked up a new bathing suit because the hotel had a pool which sounded like fun after the day at the ball park, and she was quite anxious to get home.

"It was great. Um, Gwen Cole got back to me and told me that we were perfectly right that it wasn't exactly kosher for all of the files to be uploaded to their mainframe, so they've enlisted the other company I found. It's going to be cheaper for us because we simply house the files here on our server and then access them from wherever. Today was just the meeting with the hospital staff. Training will start in July. I'll be there for half-days for the week after the holiday," Bella volunteered as she tossed her purse on her desk.

"Okay, give me a list of what we'll need because I know we have to upgrade our server. Um, call Gwen and ask her who they are using for their upgrades. The week after you train, I'm closing the office for a week so that you can do what you need to do. If you need temps, let me know. Alice said she'd come in and help with the scanning of the files, so if you need more help, let me know. Now, that being said, when are your parents taking the boys camping?" Carlisle asked her.

"Actually, they're going to be gone while I'm in training. Oh, and we need to get releases out to the patients. I'll do a mass mailing next week," Bella responded.

"Sure. Get Alice to help you stuff envelopes. Regarding the boys being gone while you're in training, that's not a vacation for you," he answered with a smirk. Esme had called him and told him that things between Bella and Edward had heated up, and he was quite happy about the information. He believed that his brother-in-law would be good for the young woman, and he wanted to do anything he could to encourage the relationship.

"I'm fine. I don't have the cash for a vacation, so this works. I'm planning to go to the lake for the weekend, so that's fine. It will all be finished by the time everyone gets back from vacation," Bella promised. She knew it would be long hours, but she was prepared to put in the time. She'd already spoken to her mother about staying with the boys in the evenings so that she could work late if necessary, so it wasn't an issue. The amount of overtime she'd be putting in would more than make up for Sam's lack of child support.

"Oh, that reminds me," Carlisle called as he flipped an envelope on her desk. She picked it up and slid her finger under the flap, opening it carefully to avoid a paper cut.

She pulled out the paper inside and saw it was a check. She focused on it and saw it was for a thousand dollars, which shocked her. "Carlisle, what's this…" she began, unable to mask the surprise in her voice.

"That's a bonus. You deserve it more than anyone in this place, including me. What you've taken on and what you're doing is well above and beyond, and I take care of my people. Anyway, get out of here. I know you guys are going to Seattle for the weekend, so go.

"Es and I expect you to come over with the boys after everything comes down. They did a great job with the shed, by the way. Bella, they're really great boys," Carlisle replied as he turned to leave her office without waiting for any response from her.

"Thank you," Bella called as she studied the check. It would allow her to catch up on bills and pay Edward back for the electric bill that he'd paid without her permission, and there was even enough left so that she could buy the boys new shoes and some summer clothes without having to charge them to the emergency credit card or write a bad check. It was the best day she'd had in a long time.

##

"I'm not taking the check, Isabella," Edward complained harshly as they drove to Seattle in his Mercedes. He and the boys had packed and were waiting for her when she got home from work at 4:00 PM that Friday afternoon. She'd stopped by the bank on her way home and deposited the bonus check, and she'd written the check for $135.43 as she packed quickly because the three guys with whom she was travelling were ready to go and had no patience in their asses whatsoever.

"Don't be an ass. Let me pay you back, Edward," she stressed.

"I'm not being an ass, Bella. I love you. I consider you and the boys…well, I consider you family. We need to have a series of discussions, but I'm not taking that money. I'm still pissed that you let it get to that point anyway," he scolded, making her feel a bit guilty, even though she knew in her heart that she'd never have asked anyone for help.

Pride was a horrible noose, but it was one she'd had around her neck for a very long time, and she wasn't ready to let go of hers. She would provide for her sons without anyone's help, and in her mind, Edward Masen had to understand it. "I'm doing the best…" she began.

Surprisingly, he pulled into a rest area and slammed the car into park. "Guys, bathroom? Here, get sodas or whatever," he called as he tossed them a handful of singles. Once the two evacuated the car, he turned to her, and the look on his face surprised the hell out of her.

"Listen to me. I. Love. _You_. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life, and I know that you are used to shouldering all of this bullshit by yourself, but guess what? I want to help you. That's what people who love each other do for each other. You say that you love me, but you won't allow me into your life enough to share the burden? Seriously?" he pressed her gruffly.

She was taken aback at his ferocity, but she could tell that he meant business, and while she wasn't exactly happy with the fact that he'd paid the electric bill, she could tell that it meant a lot more to him to be able to help her than she'd ever realized. "Fine," she responded as she ripped the check in half, determined to pay him back another way. She saw him relax and then smile at her.

"The way I see it, when people love each other, they do things for each other. You didn't know it but I loved you then, and I was determined to take care of you. You can get as pissed off about it as you'd like, but Bella, you need to understand how important you and the twins are to me," he told her as Jared and Jake climbed into the car, handing them each a bottle of water.

"Thanks, guys," Edward called as he opened his and took a long drink. Jared tossed money over the seat at the two of them, and a minute later, Edward pulled out of the rest stop, not stopping until they reached the hotel.

After they were settled into their rooms, they went to the pool for a while and then went back to the room at 11:00, ordering dessert from room service. The boys ordered ice cream sundaes, and Bella and Edward decided to split a piece of cheesecake.

They'd stopped outside of the city and grabbed burgers before they checked in, and while Bella wasn't exactly happy about the fact that Jake and Jared were ingesting massive amounts of sugar so late at night, she wasn't going to complain because she was so fucking grateful that Edward had been able to pull it together that she didn't have it in her.

"Hey, is it okay if we go into our room and play video games for a while? There's a Wii, and there are a bunch of games available. What time's the opening pitch tomorrow?" Jared asked as he finished his sundae.

"It's at 2:05. It's up to your mom," Edward told them.

The three looked at her, and she smiled. "Go ahead, but know that I'm going to get you up early for breakfast, and I'd like to go to the Space Needle before the game. After the game, I don't care what we do," she replied as she moved to put the empty dishes on the room service cart and push it toward the door.

"Ma, lemme. We'll keep it down, I promise. Night," Jacob told her as he took the cart from her and kissed her cheek.

"Night Edward," Jared called as he walked into their adjoining room. After the cart was outside the room, Bella followed Jacob into theirs and told them goodnight, pulling the door closed between the rooms.

Edward was nervously fidgeting on the couch in their room because he had no idea how things would go, but he was leaving it up to her. He thought he'd heard her tell them that she was closing the door on their side and that they should knock before they came bolting in, but he wasn't sure that he hadn't imagined it, so he was waiting for her to make a move that would allow him to believe it was true.

When she walked over to where he sat on the couch and straddled his lap, he wasted no time wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. "So, are we okay?" he asked, remembering the altercation regarding the check from earlier in the day.

Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on his lips, feeling the tension in his shoulders. "Okay? We're more than okay, handsome," she told him as she kissed him again. She felt his hands on her waist under her blouse, and she wasn't sorry at all. She hoped they could pick up where they'd left off the night before and that very morning, but with the boys in the next room, she wasn't sure what he was thinking.

"How about a soak?" Edward asked with a sexy smile on his face. Their room had a huge Jacuzzi tub, and he'd booked it for that very reason.

"That sounds incredible. They'll likely wear each other out in an hour, but I doubt that they'll knock on that door," Bella replied as she rose from his lap and pulled on his left hand. He quickly rose from the couch and kissed her lips, following her to the bathroom where he closed and locked the door.

Bella turned on the water and squeezed some bubble bath into the tub as Edward began to undress. She wasted no time following his example, and once she was completely nude, she climbed into the hot water with her back to the side of the tub near the faucet, waiting for him to finish brushing his teeth. She'd determined she would brush hers after the bath.

After Edward was naked and climbed into the tub, he pulled her closer to him so that he could fully stretch out and well, the fact that she was on top of him wasn't a bad idea at all. "I truly love having you naked, Mrs. Uley," he whispered to her as he kissed along her neck where the bubbles had dissipated.

"Mr. Masen, I truly love having you naked as well," Bella whispered as she settled herself over his erection.

"Um, I brought condoms," Edward whispered as if he thought the boys could hear him.

"Oh, your tests came back…you're clean and I'm on the pill so we'll save those for when we have sex in public…less messy," she teased as she plunged herself down onto his erection, feeling the burn of the stretch that she hadn't felt in a very long time. It wasn't as unpleasant as she thought it would be.

Public sex? Oh, the possibilities. But he couldn't focus on that at the moment with her on top of him. "So our first time is going to be in water?" Edward joked as he wrapped his arms around her and sat up in the tub to feel her next to him in the hot water.

"Well, we can start here…I suppose we'll see how much stamina you have," Bella whispered as she began moving on him, enjoying the friction that he provided.

"God, I'll never figure you out," he whispered as he sucked her left nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it, sending her into orbit.

The water spilled over the side of the tub, soaking the bath mat that they'd carefully placed outside the tub, but after the gasping and heavy breathing that accompanied their respective orgasms, neither cared.

After Edward slipped from her body with his tongue teaching her a new way to kiss, the two climbed out of the tub and gingerly sopped up the water on the floor so that no one fell and broke anything. They dried off and climbed into bed, and before Bella settled on her back, Edward was on top of her with his hard on pressing into her stomach.

"Now, can we make love in the bed?" he asked as he kissed along her neck. She didn't hesitate to wrap her legs around his waist, pulling him closer, and when he slid inside her for the second time, she gasped.

It was wonderful to feel him inside her body, and as she would find out several times that night, he was a very attentive lover. He held his climax at bay until she'd reached her own, and the couple didn't settle in to sleep until the sun was nearly up. It was a perfect way to begin their physical relationship, and the perfect sleep they each experienced was more than they ever thought they'd have with Bella's boys in the next room.

##

"Boys, breakfast," Bella called to her sons at 11:00 AM that Saturday morning. She was exhausted in the best possible way, and Edward was in the shower trying to wake up, but they were both very happy.

Four times…four times, the man had brought her to the blissful release that she'd never experienced in her entire life, and for that, she thought he deserved a medal. She heard him whistling in the shower, and she couldn't keep her smile at bay.

"Are we going to the Space Needle?" Jared asked as he sat down on the side of the bed at the small table and took the dome off of a stack of pancakes.

"Yes, and then the game, and then we can do whatever you guys want to do," Bella instructed as she helped them assemble their breakfast.

"Ma, are you gonna marry Edward?" Jacob asked as he settled into his place next to his brother.

She had no answer because the question hadn't actually been asked, nor had the subject really been broached except as a joke weeks prior. "Well, he hasn't asked me, so um, I really haven't thought about it. It's really too soon to even think about anything like that," she lied. Oh, she'd thought about it a lot, but she'd never come to a conclusion.

He was a gorgeous twenty-four…actually twenty-five that day…year old sex god, and she couldn't begin to imagine him wanting to be tied to the wagon of baggage that she pulled behind her. She wasn't allowing herself to entertain those thoughts because she believed that they'd only lead to heartache for which she wasn't prepared.

"You know, Dad's an asshole, right?" Jacob announced as he drank down a glass of orange juice in one gulp.

"Jacob Charles, that's uncalled for," she chastised, though a bit unwillingly. She agreed with him wholeheartedly, but she couldn't admit it to him because she felt that he should respect his father…even though he was, indeed, an asshole.

"Mom, Jake's right. Dad's an asshole, and Edward treats you good. It seems like he likes you, and he likes us, I think. I'd say if he asks, you should say yes," Jared added.

She was grateful that she still heard the water in the bathroom because she didn't want Edward to hear the conversation she was having with her sons. No permanence had been placed on their relationship, and she wasn't willing to push her luck. If Edward Masen wanted a permanent relationship with her, it was something _they _needed to discuss at some point down the road, not something that she was ready to discuss with her sons over breakfast only a short time into the relationship.

##

Edward climbed out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist, and opened the bathroom door, having forgotten his valet kit in his suitcase. He saw that the door between the adjoining rooms was open, and he heard the Uleys talking in the boys' room. He couldn't help but listen.

"I'd say if he asks, you should say yes," Jared commented. He had no idea what they were discussing, so he waited for someone to comment further with the hope that he could figure out about what they were talking.

"Guys, we're a lot to take on, and you know that even though today's Edward's birthday, he's more than five years younger than me, and well, I doubt that he's looking for a ready-made family, so let's drop it, okay?" he heard Bella respond. That answer didn't exactly make him happy.

"Ma, I'd bet the guy loves you, and well, we know he's stayed at the house a whole bunch. Pop says you two are settin' up house and that if Edward hurts ya like Dad did, he'll shoot him in the pecker," he heard Jacob respond. He laughed, knowing it sounded exactly like something Charlie Swan would say.

"Jacob Charles, I'll wash your mouth out with soap. This is completely inappropriate for us to be talking about. Edward hasn't mentioned one word about the two of us doing anything more than dating, so don't get so bugged up about it, okay? We're good friends, and we enjoy each other's company. Yes, he's slept at the house, but it's not serious, okay?" Bella defended, which didn't make him happy in the least. He was quite serious about her, and if she didn't realize it, then he needed to make it perfectly clear.

"Mom, I think that's a big load of crap. Grandma 'Nee says that he loves you. If that's true, then you know he's gonna ask ya. We'd never do anything to mess it up for ya, okay?" Jared remarked.

"God, don't cry," he heard Jacob. If he wasn't standing in his boxers, having grabbed a pair and lost the towel, he'd go see what had her crying.

"I'm sorry, but you guys are growing up so fast. Look, you'll never mess anything up for me, okay? You're my sons, and you're my priority. One of the special things about Edward is that he knows it and he'd never ask me to choose between you and him. If the day ever comes that it gets serious enough between us that he proposes, we'll sit down and talk about it as a family, just like everything else, okay?" she asked.

He didn't hear any answers, so he went to the bathroom and lathered up to shave, hurrying through his routine so she didn't think he was jacking off, and after he finished, he quickly pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, making his way to the boys' room where the room service cart was setting.

Jake and Jared were sitting on a bed eating, and Bella had a place set for him at the side of the table next to her. "Hey guys. Sorry it took so long, but I had a problem regulating the temperature," he lied.

Bella laughed next to him, giving him the indication that she _did_ think he'd been abusing himself in the shower, which caused him to squeeze her thigh under the table. She squeezed his hand, and then removed the metal dome from the plate in front of him revealing an omelet that looked incredible.

"After you two are done eating, get dressed, and we'll go over to the gift shop at the stadium and look around while your mom gets ready," he suggested. He felt the need to have a discussion with them away from their mom because he felt that it was necessary to make it known to Jacob and Jared Uley that he had very deep feelings for their mother and that they, too, were important to him.

In his mind, it was only a matter of waiting out the calendar before he proposed to Bella, and he wanted to make sure that the boys knew that he wasn't just killing time with their mom. He was completely serious about her and about them.

"Cool. Happy Birthday," Jacob responded as he elbowed Jared who got up from the table and walked to the suitcase they shared, pulling out an envelope and handing it to Edward as he sat back down.

"That's from both of us," Jared added.

Edward was shocked. He hadn't expected anything from them, and he was actually surprised that they knew it was his birthday prior to Bella having told them minutes before he'd shown up for breakfast. He opened the envelope and found a card that was pretty generic, which he'd expected. He opened it up and found a slip of paper inside that looked like a check. It read,

_This coupon good for  
two-weeks' worth of yard work._

_Happy Birthday, Edward  
Jake and Jared_

"Wow, um, this is really great. Thank you, guys," Edward replied. He was quite surprised at their gift, and he knew in that moment how lucky he was to have the Uley family in his life. The three of them were truly special.

He handed Bella the card and coupon, and dug into his breakfast so as not to embarrass himself by getting too emotional in front of the boys, but he was really touched.

"That's really sweet. Actually, I have to give you your gift when we get back home because I didn't bring it with me," Bella remarked as she handed the card back to him.

He grabbed her hand and chastely kissed her lips right there in front of her sons. "I don't need anything else. I've got three great people in my life, and I couldn't imagine a gift better than that," he commented as he looked into her eyes.

"Does that mean that we can take our gift back?" Jacob asked with a laugh in his voice.

"No way, dude. I'm looking forward to two free weeks of you two cutting my grass. I might have to have you plant some flowers. You should have been more specific than just 'yard work'," he teased, laughing when they both groaned.

"Eat," Bella ordered as she sipped her coffee, having finished her scrambled eggs and bacon.

After they were finished, Jake and Jared went to the bathrooms in the two rooms to shower while Edward and Bella had coffee. He wanted to explain to her that he'd overheard her comments to her sons, and just as he was about to broach the subject, his phone chimed from the coffee table in the room he shared with Bella.

"I'll be right back," he told her as he rose from the table and dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

He walked into their room and picked up his cell, seeing texts from Esme, Carlisle, and Alice, all wishing him a happy birthday. The most recent message was from his parents.

_**Happy Birthday, son. We'll be at your sister's next week for a visit. We expect to meet this woman about which we've heard nothing. Love, Mom and Dad**_

"Shit," he whispered to himself. It wasn't that he'd withheld the information, he simply wasn't ready for his parents to meet Bella and her sons because he was pretty certain his parents would have a few comments about the Uleys that he wouldn't appreciate.

He was going to depend on his sister to diffuse the situation because the last thing he wanted was for Bella, Jared, and Jake to feel like they weren't good enough for his family. Knowing them, he truly wondered if he was good enough for them.

##

Through Alice, Bella had found out that Jay Cutler, the quarterback for the Chicago Bears, was a favorite player of Edward's, so she'd gone on-line and bought a game jersey for him as a birthday gift. It hadn't arrived before they'd left on Friday, but it was supposed to be delivered on Saturday, and her dad had agreed to stop by the house and pick it up if the UPS man left it on the porch as she'd instructed.

Finding a gift for him had been a daunting task, and when she came up empty, she talked to Alice who told her that he was a die-hard Bears fan. After that information was shared, the jersey was an easy decision.

As soon as Edward and the boys left to go over to the Mariners' gift shop, she quickly took a shower, not noticing a problem with adjusting the temperature at all, and then she dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. She braided her hair while it was wet because it was easiest, and she sat down with the _USA Today_ to wait for the three guys to return so they could go to the Space Needle.

As she was reading the headlines, her phone chimed in her purse. She grabbed it and found a text from Alice.

_**Grandma and Grandpa Masen are coming to visit next week. Mom's having a cookout here next Thursday evening. Can you and the boys come? Alice xoxo**_

Bella was surprised because Edward hadn't mentioned anything about his parents other than the fact that they lived in Chicago part of the year and London the rest of the time. She had no idea what to expect, and it made her quite nervous because she didn't want the Masens to think that she was taking advantage of their son. She loved him, and she'd never take advantage of him. How she'd convey that to his parents, she wasn't exactly sure.

##

"_DUDE!_ These seats are da bomb," Jared exclaimed, much to Edward's delight. He'd pulled some strings with an old college friend, Felix Cantor, who worked the front office for the Mariners, to get the tickets. He was quite pleased that the boys were so excited. He thought about the discussion they'd had earlier, and he smiled.

_After they'd left Bella to get ready for the day, they walked across the street to Safeco Field and straight into the gift shop. The boys had looked around at all of the memorabilia and souvenirs, picking up a coffee mug for their grandfather, Charlie, and a set of potholders for their grandmother. Edward picked up a t-shirt for Bella, and then he led them over to the game shirts and ball gloves._

"_Okay, guys, pick out something," he ordered as he took the coffee cup and potholders from them. They both looked at him like he was crazy, which caused him to laugh._

"_My friend told me that our seats are in foul ball territory, and since I don't remember either of you having a glove when we cleaned up the garage, pick one out and I'll get it for you," he offered._

_He watched the two confer quietly, and then turn to him. "Our mom wouldn't like you spendin' so much on us. If you want to get us a t-shirt, that's prolly okay, but those gloves are like a hundred bucks. We've got money to pay for the stuff for Pop and Grandma 'Nee, but we can't afford to buy gloves," Jake, who always seemed to be the leader of the two of them, explained._

"_Look, guys, I'm buying you the gloves and a jersey, if you want them, and you don't need to worry about your mom. I'll handle her. Just so you know, I'm serious about your mom. It's not just hanging out to me. I have plans for all of us, but I need to wait until your mom is ready to hear them. _

"_I want you to know that I care about all of you…hell, I love your mom, and some day, when she's ready, I'm going to ask her to marry me…that is, if you're okay with it. You're the most important men in your mom's life, and I know she'd never do anything that the two of you weren't happy about, so if you have problems with me, we need to talk about it, okay?" he asked as the three stood in the store looking at each other._

"_Told ya," Jared commented to Jacob who rolled his eyes._

"_I never said he didn't love her, I just said that I didn't think he'd be cool with having us around all the time. You're an ass," Jake responded._

"_Hey, have I ever made you feel like I didn't want you around?" Edward asked, surprised to hear Jacob's take on things._

"_Well, no, but our dad doesn't want us around, so…" Jacob explained._

"_Hey, don't get me started on your dad, okay? I don't know the man, but he's your father, regardless. I'll never say anything bad about him, but I don't think it's cool the way he treats you or your mom. That's as much as I'll say about it, okay? I'm not looking to replace him, but I think we're friends, right?" Edward asked. He saw the two of them look at each other and then nod in agreement which allowed him to let out a held breath. With pre-teens, one could never be too sure._

"_Okay, then. Pick some shit out, and let's get back before your mom thinks we've left her. She wants to go to the Space Needle, and it's already noon," Edward suggested. The two picked gloves and official Mariner's caps to wear to the game, and after Edward paid for everything, not letting them spend their money on any of it, the three ran back to the hotel and collected Bella to go to the Space Needle. _

_Unfortunately, the line was quite long that Saturday afternoon, and they'd never be able to get inside and get back to the ball park in time for the opening pitch, but Edward promised he'd bring her back in the near future, so they took a few pictures in front of it and went back to the hotel._

_Bella changed into her team t-shirt, and the four went to the park, settling into their seats behind the home dugout to wait for the game. They'd stopped at concession and grabbed hot dogs and burgers, so they were all ready for the game to start._

After the National Anthem and the first pitch, they settled back to watch the Mariners take the field. "Edward, you spent too much on us. The tickets and the rooms…the gloves and hats…stuff for my parents…you're spoiling us," Bella complained as she sipped her beer. He had his arm around the back of her seat as he sipped his own, and it was exactly what he'd expected to hear from her.

"Damn right I'm spoiling you. It's been long overdue in my opinion. Look, we've only known each other for about six weeks, so just adjust to the fact that I'm not going anywhere. I plan to spoil the three of you at every opportunity, okay? It's too soon for me to tell you the things that I dream about, so let it go for now, okay? Um, my parents are coming to town next week, and they want to meet the three of you. I, uh, if you don't want to endure it, I'll make excuses," he offered.

Bella laughed. "It's too late for that. Alice already invited us for a cookout next Thursday. Your parents are going to freak about this, aren't they? Don't lie to me," she goaded as they sat together watching the Dodgers get the first run of the game.

"Well, um, they'll be surprised, but it's just because they'll be surprised that I'm ready to settle down," Edward told her as a pop fly sailed over their heads. Both boys jumped up, but the ball landed in the upper deck, so they sat down, bending their new gloves to try to soften the new leather. Neither appeared to be paying attention to what their mom and her boyfriend were discussing, for which Bella was grateful.

"You're too young to settle down," Bella chastised as she took another sip of her beer.

Edward took the aluminum bottle from her hand and placed it in the cup holder on the back of the seat in front of her after he did the same with his own. He placed his thumb and forefinger on her chin, gently turning her head so that she'd look him in the eye. "Don't do that. You know better than that. I love you, Bella, and I'm not at all too young to settle down. I'm pretty fucking settled as it is, and you have no idea how happy I am that I have the three of you, okay?" he remarked before he kissed her sweetly on her lips after glancing to see the boys engrossed in the game.

He saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes as he cupped her cheek and kissed her again. When the two pulled away, he saw a stray tear trailing down her cheek, which he quickly kissed away. He turned back to the game, checking the scoreboard because he hadn't really been paying attention to anything other than the beautiful woman leaning in to him with a sweet smile on her face. It was the best birthday he remembered ever having.

_**\\\**_

_**E/N: Well, well. Take me out to the ballgame with a romantic younger guy, please? Lemme hear from ya. Oh, and Tony and Liza, Edward's parents…good times!**_

_**Thank you so much for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Hey everyone. Thank you for your reviews of my little tale. I hope you'll stick with me, in light of the news that's rocked our little fandom. Just remember…the characters aren't the actors. I have to remind myself of that because when I write them, I see the faces, but seriously, my story is so far away from them that I hope we can all remember it.**_

_**SMeyer owns. I do not.**_

_**\\\**_

10.

##

Bella pulled down Abingdon Place, and she was surprised to see a white pick-up truck with "Reed's Nursery" parked on her driveway. There were plants all over her front yard, and Jake and Jared were digging up the boxwoods in front of the picture windows that flanked the front porch. There were hanging baskets on her porch that hadn't been there that morning when she'd left, and there was white wicker furniture and a new porch swing being secured to the ceiling of her porch by Emmett and Jasper, which surprised her.

She parked her old truck on the street and got out, glancing at her watch to see that it was just after 6:00 PM in the evening. She saw Edward at the side of the house with a bag of mulch, placing it around several new plants that also hadn't been there that morning when she'd left.

She walked over to her sons and stopped. "What's going on?" she asked, feeling like she was in an alternative universe. Getting them to cut the grass at her house had been a chore at the beginning of the summer. What they were doing that evening was nothing short of a miracle, in her opinion.

"Hey, Ma. The Garden Club is holding a contest for the best neighborhood, and we can't be the worst house on the block. We bought these plants, and Edward, Officer McCarty, and Mr. Jasper are helping us plant 'em. Don't worry, we'll clean up the mess," Jacob enlightened. She was in shock.

"Where'd you get the money for this?" she asked warily.

"Mom, we mow ten yards in the neighborhoods…that's $250 a week. Edward took the day off and took us to the nursery, and he conned that guy, Paul, into delivering them today. Go on inside and relax. We've got this," Jared ordered. She kissed his cheek first, and then Jake's, and she walked to the side of the house to confront the sneaky man who she loved in an attempt to get to the bottom of what the hell was going on.

"Excuse me, Mr. Masen. What the hell is going on?" she asked as she pulled the earbud out of his ear, having heard him humming as he mulched around what appeared to be new holly bushes.

"Oh, hey, babe. How was work?" he asked as he rose from his knees and kissed her chastely. He was sweaty and gorgeous, and in that moment, she couldn't help but recall making love to him the Saturday night after they'd all settled into their rooms, having gone swimming after the Mariners beat the Dodgers. The boys hadn't caught any foul balls, but Bella knew it didn't matter to them. The fact that they got to go to the game and that Edward had bought the boys caps and ball gloves was enough of a reward to them.

"Busy. I had to get out the releases to the patients. I've got yours in my purse. Anyway, what's up with all of this?" she asked.

"Well, the twins found out that there was a contest for the best neighborhood, so they entered Piney Woods. If we win, the prize is a thousand dollars and a sign at the circles. Do you like the furniture on the porch?" he asked nervously, in Bella's opinion.

"It's beautiful. Where did it come from?" she asked as she pulled him closer to kiss him. She noticed that he didn't touch her because his hands were dirty, but she really didn't care because he'd never looked sexier to her in all the time she'd known him. When the pair pulled away from each other, they heard laughing behind them, and she turned to see Jasper standing there with his hands on his hips.

"Well, I guess that it's official…Masen is off the market. I'd guess the International Pussy Parade would be quite disappointed," Jasper commented with a laugh. Bella had no idea what it meant, and when Edward cursed at the comment, she knew there was more to it than just a joke.

"Jasper, I'll beat your ass right here if you make one more comment like that," Edward informed as he looked quickly between Bella and his friend.

"What's he talking about?" Bella asked, the contents of her yard taking a backseat to Jasper's comment.

"Now, it's nothin' at all. Anyway, the swing's up, I'll finish the mulchin' here, and maybe you better help the boys with the boxwoods. The roots are deep," Jasper commented.

Bella followed Edward to the front of the house, not at all finished with the conversation, but in her heart, she already knew the answer. He'd told her he'd traveled abroad, and she didn't really need a map or an explanation.

She decided to let it go, so she followed him, just as she knew she'd probably follow him the rest of her life. He was extremely important to her, and if he didn't realize it, then she knew she was the slacker in the relationship.

##

The plants were planted. The grass was mown. The weeds were pulled, and the boys were in bed. Edward had gone home to shower, and they'd agreed he'd come back over after 11:00 PM to spend the night. They weren't going to lie to Jake and Jared, but they weren't going to parade their relationship in front of them. Bella had given him his own key, and after dinner of KFC, he'd excused himself to go home to clean up.

He was worried about his parents' visit because on the face of it, the relationship looked difficult. In his mind, it was as easy as anything he'd ever gone through in his life, and he was itching to make it permanent, but he knew Bella well enough to know she'd never go for it, so he wasn't pushing his luck.

His parents would adjust, and if they didn't, well, he wasn't in contact with them very often anyway. It wouldn't be anything new to know that he'd lived his life in a way with which they didn't always agree, and he wouldn't let it sway his decisions anyway.

After he combed his hair and brushed his teeth, he pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, hoping that they wouldn't be on too long, and he took the walk over to Bella's house. He pulled the key she'd given him from his pocket and opened the door quietly, listening for any signs of life inside the house.

When he heard nothing, he let himself inside and closed and locked the door. He slipped off his shoes by the door and quietly climbed the stairs, seeing a light under Bella's bedroom door. He thought about knocking, but he decided against it because she knew he was coming back after he'd left earlier, so he opened the door, finding her asleep in one of his Dartmouth t-shirts with her hair fanned out on the pillows.

He closed and locked the door, and he took in the sight of her in the dim light. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life, and he could only fantasize about how their children would look. He hoped she wanted at least one more child because he'd always wanted children, but if she didn't, he'd reconcile himself to the fact that he had Jacob and Jared in his life, and he knew he'd be happy.

He stripped down to his boxers and climbed in next to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "Mmm. Make it fast, Ashton. My boyfriend will be here soon," he heard her mumble which caused him to laugh.

"Sorry, love. Ashton is still in Hollywood. You're left with just me," Edward whispered in her ear as he nipped her earlobe, settling in for a good night's sleep.

"I heard you open the front door, silly. I was just teasing. Why'd you go home in the first place," she asked as she turned in his arms and kissed his bare chest. He loved the feel of her in his arms as much as he loved the woman herself. He considered himself a very lucky man.

"I went home because your boys aren't really ready to hear the news that I sneak into your house and have my wicked way with you while they're asleep. Plus, I only have a clean shirt here which I see someone else has commandeered, so I didn't have anything to change into after I showered. You wanna wake 'em and tell 'em that? I'll turn the lights on," he teased as he held her close feeling the familiar rise in his boxers that he felt every time she was around. It was absolutely nothing new, and it was absolutely welcome.

When Bella laughed, his whole world lit up. "No, I guess not. So, what prompted the makeover in my yard?" she whispered.

"I'll tell you tomorrow. Take off your clothes. I'm horny as hell, and I really need to make love to you," he responded which caused a chuckle from her as she sat up and pulled off the t-shirt she was wearing. He was surprised that she didn't have on anything else, but he was quite happy about it as he stripped off his boxers.

He situated himself on top of her and slowly eased inside of her. Being inside Bella was one of the best things in his world, and he'd never skip the opportunity if he had a choice.

He moved slowly at first until she found her rhythm with him which was his green light to move more aggressively, and after several minutes, they both found their release, kissing through the moaning that each was prone to do.

Kisses were shared and breathing was settled when Edward moved off of Bella, and she sighed contentedly. "I wish I'd have met you a long time ago. My hand does nothing compared to your dick," she teased as she turned into his body and nestled into his side, ready for sleep.

"Mrs. Uley, I doubt you'd have given me the time of day. Good night, love," he told her as he pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. She didn't respond…she only sighed as her arm rested on his stomach which was enough for Edward to know that he'd satisfied her. It made him quite happy…happy enough to fall into a dreamless sleep with her at his side. Life didn't get much better than that.

##

"Edward, Aro Volturi is on line two," Siobhan called over the intercom. Edward had worked very hard on the campaign that he'd presented to the President of Volt Wireless the day before, and he was anxious for their response. He owed most of it to Jacob and Jared Uley, and if Volt went for it, he planned to buy the boys new bikes.

The Garden Club competition had been Rosalie's idea because she'd commented that the boys worked damn hard in the neighborhoods, and the neighbors had all voted that if Piney Woods won the thousand dollar prize that was offered, half would go for a large block party at the end of the summer and the rest of the money would be given to the boys.

When Edward had told Bella about it, she seemed apprehensive at first, but when he told her that it was important to the neighbors, she relented. He was quite happy about it.

It was a Thursday, and his parents were due in town that afternoon. He'd talked to Esme about the cookout at Bella's insistence, and although Esme had told him that she didn't need to bring anything, he knew that Bella was taking off early to go home and make cookies and some sort of pasta salad. He was dreading the initial meeting between his parents and the family with whom he'd fallen in love, but Esme assured him that after their parents saw the four of them together, they'd be happy about it.

He cleared his throat and picked up the phone, punching the flashing line. "Mr. Volturi, I've been anxious to hear from you," Edward greeted nervously.

He heard the older man chuckle through the line, and he held his breath. "Masen, I have to tell you, your proposal wasn't at all what we expected," Aro told him. He remembered the stunned looks on the faces of the brothers, Aro and Caius, who owned the company and shared control. He wasn't sure what they expected when they asked him to bring a fresh perspective to the campaign, but he felt he'd met the challenge. Of course, it remained to be seen if they agreed.

"I kind of got that impression, but I believe the market research is sound, and the fact that it's a one-eighty from the unsuccessful campaign you launched last summer provides that new perspective you talked about. I believe that the website and the add-on incentives will be quite successful," Edward replied, once again selling the campaign.

"Well, Caius and I discussed it, and we like your idea. We're going with you on this one. Send us the contracts and we'll sign them, and then we expect you to hit the ground running. We'd like to roll it out by the beginning of the school year, if that's doable," Aro told him.

It would be tight to get the media and print ads ready for a launch by the end of August, but the budget for the campaign allowed for things to be expedited, so he wasn't worried about it much…he was only worried about the amount of time he'd have to be in Portland, Oregon, to oversee everything. He had no idea how much time he'd be able to spend with Bella and the boys, but he knew that once the campaign launched, it would give him a more stable financial footing, not that he was poor by any stretch of the imagination, and that, in turn, would allow him to move things in a direction with Bella that he hoped would be to her liking.

"That's great, Mr. Volturi. Um, I'll get you everything by close of business tomorrow, and then we'll set a production schedule and move forward with getting things in motion. My team and I will be in Portland by the middle of next week," Edward promised as he pulled up e-mail and fired off a notice to the seven people on Team Volt to free up the next two weeks of their lives because there would be a lot of work to do.

"Sounds good. Looking forward to it. We'll have some office space here for you. We'll be in touch," Aro Volturi told him before they hung up.

Edward was so excited at his victory that he stood up from his desk and pumped his fist in the air in triumph. He quickly walked down the hallway to Siobhan's desk with a smile a mile wide. "We did it! I copied you on that e-mail. We'll need to fly out of Port Angeles next Tuesday afternoon so we can be there on Wednesday. Find me a flight and a hotel, please, and then forward the information to the team so they can handle their own arrangements. I'll finalize the contract and forward it to you to proofread, and then FedEx it to Volt by the end of the day. Please do me a favor and get me the name of a florist," he instructed his assistant. He planned to send Bella a bouquet of flowers in an attempt to soften the blow that he was going to be out of town for two weeks. He truly hoped they did the trick.

##

"I know you're getting ready to take off, but I felt like I needed to give you a head's up about Liza and Ted. Um, Liza's a bit judgmental, and she's very protective of her baby boy because they never thought they'd have another child after Es. She was forty when she had Edward, and well, I'm afraid it's a situation where she doesn't believe that anyone is good enough for her kids. Teddy, well, he's quite gruff, and I'm pretty sure that Edward hasn't told them anything about your situation. Esme was going to talk to them when they got to the house, but I want you to be ready," Carlisle told Bella as he stood at her office door while she was packing her things up at the end of the day.

It was about what she expected because every time she'd tried to discuss them with Edward, he told her she had nothing to worry about that they'd love her and the twins. Unfortunately, he wasn't very confident or convincing in his statements.

"Carlisle, I really don't want to put my kids through a disastrous dinner. Should we just beg off?" Bella asked nervously. The last thing she wanted was to endure the scrutiny of Edward's parents because as much as she hoped they'd be like Esme and Edward, she could see on Carlisle's face that they weren't.

He walked over to her desk and dialed his house on speaker phone, closing her door with his foot because the office was that small. "Hi Bella. Jasper's still coming isn't he?" they heard Alice answer.

Jasper had been invited to attend the barbeque, and Bella knew that Alice was excited about seeing him again. She also knew that Edward wasn't at all happy about it. "Ali, it's Dad. Where's Mom?" Carlisle asked, giving Bella the eye regarding Jasper.

"Edward's old friend. He's staying at his house," Bella whispered in explanation.

Carlisle nodded and they both heard Esme pick up an extension. "Hello, dear. What's wrong? Don't tell me you've been called to the hospital for an emergency," Esme commented over the line sounding exasperated.

"Es, I'm with Bella. She's considering cancelling because your little brother is too chickenshit to tell your parents about her and the boys. You've been around them all day, what's your best advice?" Carlisle asked.

"Um, well, I haven't actually broached the subject of you and the twins with them. Look, just come. They know that Eddie's seeing someone, so for you not to come will draw more suspicion than anything. I'll act as a buffer, and with the boys and Alice here, I believe it will be okay. _Coming Daddy!_" they both heard Esme call over the line.

"I'm sorry. He's insisting on cleaning the grill, but he can't figure out how to turn the damn thing on. I'm expecting all of you home by 5:30," Esme ordered, and then the line went silent.

"Well, um, look. Make up your own mind. I'll help you out as much as possible, okay? If Jasper is Jasper Whitlock, the guy who my soon-to-be eighteen-year old has been pining over for the last month, that should take some of the heat off of you and Edward. If things get too tense, then you and boys just leave and let Esme and Edward deal with their parents, okay?" Carlisle suggested. She nodded in agreement, and appreciated the supportive squeeze he gave her arm before he left her office.

When she got home, she found the boys watering the plants that had been planted earlier in the week. She climbed out of her old truck, and heard her phone chime in her purse. She pulled it out and saw a text from Edward.

_Love, I'll be a little late. I've got great news. I'll see you at Es and Carlisle's by 6:30. Love you – E_

The sentiment was sweet, but the fact that he'd be late only made her more nervous. She looked at her watch and saw it was 3:00 PM, and she only had two hours to bake the cookies she'd mixed the night before and make a pasta salad. At that moment, she wished she had a Zoloft. Unfortunately, she wasn't even going to be able to drink that night because she'd have to drive, so she was going to have to deal with the situation without any artificial means of support. She wasn't looking forward to it at all.

##

As Bella and the boys were getting ready to leave the house to go to the Cullens, Jasper Whitlock pulled into her driveway in a large SUV. He hopped out with a vase of flowers in his hands and a huge smile on his face. "Bella, your chariot awaits," Jasper called as he walked up the sidewalk and thrust the vase of mixed flowers toward her. She turned and handed Jared the plate of cookies she was carrying and took the flowers from him.

"You didn't need to bring flowers," she teased Jasper as she plucked the card from the pick in the middle of the vase and waited for an explanation.

"Oh, these are from your one and only. I stopped by the office to see if you'd left for the day, and that cute girl with the glasses, um Angela, I think. She asked me to bring them to you. Ed called me and asked me to drive you guys over. He'll bring ya home, and I don't know how to get to the Cullens' house, anyway. So, put 'em inside, and then let's be on our way before we're late. I'm looking forward to seeing Alice again," Jasper explained.

Bella laughed, and walked back up the stairs to the house, opening the door and depositing the flowers on the table just inside. She placed the card next to them, having determined that she'd open it when she got back home later that night. Knowing they were from Edward was more than enough.

When she returned outside, Jake and Jared, clad in swim trunks with dry clothes in a backpack, were already in the backseat of the Tahoe, and Jasper was standing at the bottom of the stairs with the salad in his hands waiting for her.

"So, are we walkin' into a hornet nest?" he asked.

"Possibly. You ready?" she answered and asked.

"Well, I don't think I've got a choice. I'm on the clock for the middle of July when the lovely Alice turns eighteen, so if the only way I get to see her is with her grandparents comin' to town, I'll take it. How 'bout you?" Jasper replied.

"I'm scared shitless," Bella answered as the pair walked to his vehicle and climbed in. She was taking deep breaths to keep from panicking, but at least, with the unexpected ride with Jasper, she'd be able to drink alcohol. She truly hoped it would help, but she seriously doubted it would.

##

When Edward pulled up in front of his sister's house, he wasn't pleased to see Alice and Jasper laughing on the front porch. Jasper had a beer, and his niece appeared to be enthralled with whatever bullshit story Jasper was telling her.

He climbed out of the car, having shed his tie and jacket and rolled up the sleeves on his yellow button-down dress shirt. As he climbed the stairs, he saw the two of them look at him, and he worried. "Jailbait, Sex Offender. Why are you two out here? Are Mom and Dad here?" he directed at Alice.

He saw Jasper reach over and squeeze her hand. "Douche, I wouldn't go into that Armageddon for all the tea in China. We're hiding out here to stay out of the fray. Your Mom and Dad aren't exactly happy at the prospect of me either," Jasper confessed much to Edward's dismay. He looked at Alice, and he could see that nothing was going to register with her because she was completely smitten with Jasper, which wasn't to his liking either.

Without another word, he walked into the house, hearing someone in the kitchen. He quickly made his way down the grand hallway, and found his sister at the stove stirring something. "Es, what's going on?" he asked. His sister turned to look at him and the blank expression on her face gave him nothing to go on.

"Look, you sent that poor woman in here without any cover whatsoever. I'm truly ashamed of you for that, you little coward. You know how Mom is. I can't believe you didn't tell them about Bella and the boys," Esme scolded. He looked out the French doors to see Jared and Jacob in the pool, but he couldn't see anyone else in the back yard.

"Es, I had no idea how to tell Mom and Dad that…" he began his defense as he heard Bella's laugh accompanied by his mother's. He hurried out on the patio without another word to his sister and took in a site that he'd have never believed in a million years.

Bella and his mother were sitting at an umbrella-covered patio table with a bottle of wine while his father and Carlisle were in the pool playing volleyball with Jared and Jake. Everyone appeared to be happy, and everyone was smiling. Esme stepped out behind him with a cold beer in her hand and shoved him in the back. When he turned to look at her, she handed it to him. "I didn't say it went badly. I just said it wasn't fair to Bella. You'd better hang onto her, little brother. She's quite a special lady," Esme tossed back as she carried another bottle of wine to the table along with a bowl of popcorn.

He watched her set it down on the table and join his mother and Bella, the three of them laughing at something that she said. When they all turned their heads toward him, he waved sheepishly, and was happy to see Bella hop up from the table in a blue cotton dress, quickly making her way to where he stood like a statue.

When she arrived at the spot to which he was cemented, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes, kissing him quickly on the lips. "You've been a very bad boy. I might have to punish you for not telling your parents about us and leaving me to fend for myself. Your mother has some very stern words for you, Moptop," Bella told him using the nickname his mother had given him as a boy. It was because of his unruly hair, and he knew that if Liza Masen had told her about the nickname, his mother and the woman he loved were getting on just fine.

He wrapped his arms around her small waist and kissed her again before he took her hand and led her to the table where his mother and sister were talking. "Mom, have you told all of my secrets? You know, with a woman like Bella, I need a little mystery," he teased as he placed his beer on the table and walked around it to hug his mother.

"Oh, you scoundrel. How could you not tell me about this lovely girl and her wonderful sons? I could turn you over my knee," his mother threatened as she pinched his cheeks hard.

After she let go, he turned to the pool to see his father standing at the side waiting for his turn at chiding him for his secret-keeping when it came to Bella and the twins. "I didn't tell you because really, how could I describe her that would do her justice. Then, add in those two villains, and I'm certain you'd have thought I'd gone mental," he joked. His mother slapped his chest and sat down in her chair, grabbing her glass of wine and taking a sip.

He walked over to the pool and squatted down to hug his father. "Dad, how's London?" he asked as he felt his shirt absorb the water as he hugged his father around the neck. The next thing he knew, he was being pulled over his father's head and into the pool, clothes and all.

He came up from under the water and pushed his hair out of the way, grateful that his cell phone was in the pocket of his jacket that he'd left in the car. "Son-of-a-bitch," he called as he moved his hair out of the way. His Cole-Haans would never be the same.

"The next time you have a big secret, you'd better come clean and not leave us to have to ferret out things for ourselves, Son," Ted Masen called as everyone else laughed.

"Dad, that was completely uncalled for," Edward complained as he walked to the stairs in the shallow end of the pool. He hauled himself out and walked to another patio table, pulling out his wallet, the change in his pocket, and taking off his watch. He kicked off his ruined loafers, and pulled the soaking wet shirt from his trousers, unbuttoning it and tossing it on the table, leaving him in his dress slacks, socks, and undershirt.

"I'll get you a t-shirt and shorts," Esme called as she laughed and rose from the chair, making her way toward him with a towel from the large bin at the side of the pool. Edward unbuckled his belt and pulled it from the loops, placing it on the table to dry out, and then he peeled off the ruined Armani slacks and socks, leaving himself in his soaked boxers and undershirt as everyone continued to laugh. He grabbed the towel that Esme offered, and walked over to the table where his mother and Bella were still sitting. His father, Carlisle, and the twins had gone back to their game, and no one was paying attention to him at all.

When he sat down in the chair next to Bella, he shook his hair so as to get her wet, which caused her to slap his towel-covered leg. "Have you all been plotting that in my absence?" he asked as he took a sip of his beer and then grabbed Bella's hand, kissing her knuckles. He was quite happy that she seemed to hit it off with his parents. It had worried him all day, which was why he called Jasper to pick up her and the boys to take them to Esme's . He felt that Jasper would take care of her until he could get away, and he was pleasantly surprised that Bella didn't seem to need it at all.

"Well, Jacob and Jared were against it when Dad suggested it, so they're in your corner, but your father and I determined that you needed a good dunking for keeping this wonderful woman and those two sweet boys a secret. Do you know that they offered to weed the flower garden for Esme when she mentioned it needed to be done, and they refused to take money for it? Where on earth did you meet this family?" his mother asked with a tender smile on her face.

"Oh, that's quite a story. Let's save it for dinner because the boys need to explain their part," Edward suggested with a laugh.

"Carlisle, time to get out of the pool and put the steaks on the grill," Esme called as she looked at her watch. The three at the table saw him frown, and then reluctantly climb the ladder, grabbing a towel and drying himself.

"Guys, rematch on Saturday?" Carlisle called to Jacob and Jared, who nodded excitedly, and then the group settled in to prepare dinner.

The night went far better than Edward or Bella could have imagined, and when the Uleys and the Masen left at 11:00 PM, everyone was sorry that the time had gone by so fast. Esme and Carlisle had invited the Uley brothers out for Saturday, making certain that Bella and Edward knew that they weren't invited, which suited them just fine.

On the ride home, Edward couldn't wipe the smile from his face. His mother had pulled him aside and given Bella and the boys the Masen stamp of approval, and even his father, the stodgy patriarch of the family, seemed to have a soft spot for Bella and the boys, going so far as to invite them to London and Chicago if the opportunities presented themselves. Happy wasn't descriptive enough to describe the feelings he was experiencing when he pulled into the driveway on Abingdon Place.

"Can I come in for a while? I need to talk to you," Edward told her, remembering that he needed to let her know he'd be gone to Portland for two weeks. He was dreading it because things were going so well between them, but it couldn't be avoided, and he wanted her to know that if he'd had a choice, he wouldn't go away for such a long period of time. He knew he'd miss her too much.

\\\

_**E/N: So, the visit with his parents wasn't nearly as bad as anyone thought. Please let me hear from you! Thank you for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: You all are fantastic! Thank you for your reviews and for reading. I truly love hearing from you.**_

_**So, when we left our story, Edward was pleasantly surprised that his parents had embraced the Uley family. Now, we're gonna find out how that happened, and we embark upon a really great part of the story, in my opinion.**_

_**SMeyer owns…I borrow but don't infringe.**_

_**\\\**_

11.

"Um, Bella, this is my mother, Elizabeth Masen. Mom, this is Edward's girlfriend, Bella Uley, and her handsome sons, Jacob and Jared," Esme introduced in the kitchen of the fabulous home that Bella had visited only a couple of times.

Edward's mother was lovely. Bella figured her to be about sixty-four years old, based on the information Edward had given her, but she certainly didn't look it. Her hair was a gorgeous shade of silver, and her dancing green eyes and peaches and cream complexion gave Bella insight into how well Esme would age.

"Bella, it's nice to meet you, and please, call me Liza. Tell me, why has my son kept you a secret?" Liza asked. Bella didn't feel it was confrontational, so she wasn't offended. She could easily put herself in the woman's shoes, being the mother of two sons, and she knew that it was more of a fact-finding mission than anything else.

"Mrs. Masen, I believe that your son, who I absolutely adore, worried about two things. One, I'm a bit older than him, and while he doesn't see it as a problem, I can see where you might see it as one. The other thing is that I have sons who were born when Edward was all of thirteen, so I'm sure he didn't know how you'd take it. Just so you know I'm not taking advantage of your son. If the truth be told, he does things without my consent all the time, but he's got a kind heart, which I assume he got from you and Mr. Masen," Bella explained defensively.

She saw Liza Masen take her in, and she braced for whatever the woman was going to say. When she started to laugh, it took Bella by surprise. "Oh, you're a feisty one. I see what my son sees in you. You're like me. Well, Bella Uley, come outside and let's have a glass of wine. My son has been the Romeo of the family for far too long, and if you're the woman to tame him, I definitely want to get to know you. You should come meet Ted," Liza called leading the Uleys toward the pool. When Esme squeezed Bella's arm and winked at her, she let go of all of her tension. Apparently, things weren't going to be as bad as she'd feared.

For the next hour, Liza Masen entertained Bella with stories about Edward growing up and explained that the nickname of "Moptop" had been awarded to him because of the unruly hair, not that she needed the explanation. They talked like old friends, and when Edward showed up after 6:30, she was truly happy to see him.

At the end of the night, she hated to see it come to an end, but the invitation by Carlisle and Esme to Jake and Jared was quite welcomed because it meant that she and Edward would have the afternoon to themselves on Saturday.

When they pulled into her driveway, she was sorry it was so late, and she actually hoped that he'd stay, but when he told her he needed to speak with her, she worried.

"Guys, quick showers and then bed. You're supposed to go with Pop tomorrow morning for fishing, and it's already late," she instructed as they got out of the car and walked toward her house.

"Night Edward," they called in unison as they went inside.

"Wanna sit on the porch?" Bella asked, seeing the porch swing that was calling to her. She hadn't had the opportunity to enjoy it, and she truly wanted to that night.

"Love to," Edward told her as he took her hand and pulled her toward it. The two sat down on the swing, and when Edward pulled her close and kissed her temple, she felt quite adored.

"What's up?" she asked, knowing that there was something weighing on his mind.

"I guess you didn't get the flowers?" he asked. It was then that she remembered the flowers that Jasper had brought with him when he'd picked her up.

"Oh, I did, but I was already gone from the office. Jasper brought them, and I was in a hurry, so I didn't read the card. Should I?" she asked, not sure why he'd sent the flowers in the first place.

"Well, it said, 'I'm so happy you're in my life. I love you'. Look, I won that contract for Volt, and I've got to go to Portland for two weeks, starting next week. I know you can't go with me, and really, it would be so fucking boring because I'll be working all the time, but we'll be okay, right?" he asked.

She could see the worry on his face, and she didn't want him to worry at all. "Oh, honey, we'll be fine. I'll be busy anyway, so if you have to go, it's the best time. Don't worry about me. I'm not going anywhere," she answered as she took his hand in hers and held it tightly as he kicked his feet and made the swing float on the evening breeze with chirping crickets in the background.

It was cloudy, and there was a chance of rain, so the cool breeze was more than welcome. Bella rested her head on his shoulder, and she felt like a southern belle for a moment as the swing lazily moved to and fro. It was a perfect moment in her opinion.

"So, what happened with my mother?" Edward asked as his hand around her shoulders drew lazy circles, enjoying the feel of her soft skin.

"She fell in love with me just like you," Bella teased as her right hand drew lazy circles on his thigh.

Edward laughed. "Yeah, I don't doubt that. You'll be okay when I'm gone, right? I mean, can you get the boys to take in the mail and look after my place? Actually, I can get Em or Rosalie to do it," Edward remarked.

"Oh, stop. We'll be happy to take care of your house. Now, the boys will be gone on Saturday afternoon. Do you have to work?" she asked.

He thought about the upcoming time away from her and determined that he wouldn't work that weekend. He knew he'd be putting in late nights while he was away, but he also knew that he needed to be with her as much as possible, so work was out of the question.

"Nope. You decide what you want to do, and we'll do it. Um, Sunday is Father's Day, so are you going to your folks' place?" he asked. With his parents in town, he knew he'd need to spend time with his dad, and he also knew he needed to get a gift, but he had no idea what her plans entailed.

"Actually, I was thinking about having everyone here. My parents, your parents, Carlisle and Esme. I don't have a pool or anything, but I can make dinner," she offered.

"Would you think about doing it at my house? Look, Bella, we need to talk about a lot of things. I know you're renting this house, and it's a great house, but someday, I hope…well, I think mine's bigger," he offered as he kissed the top of her head.

She heard what he'd said, but it was only six weeks since they'd met, and it was far too soon to talk about things of the sort, so she had to shut him down. "I think it's far too early to talk about things like that, okay?" she mentioned.

"Yeah, you're right, once again. I need to go. I love you, and I'll call you tomorrow when I can," he replied as he kissed her before he rose from the porch swing. After he left, she stayed put, thinking what he'd mentioned and wondering what the right amount of time would be for the two of them to combine their lives. She had no idea, but she did know that she was having a tough time keeping her feelings in check, and she was certain that wasn't good for anyone.

##

_I missed you in my bed last night. What time are you finishing tonight? Love u…B_

_**It will be late, love. I'll come over on Saturday as soon as I get finished. Sorry about this. Love u 2**_

Edward hated that he hadn't really seen or talked to Bella since Thursday night, and he had his team set to work late on Friday, and half a day on Saturday. They were working on story boards and print copy, and at that point, he hadn't seen anything that impressed him.

"People, we have a theme here, please, dear God, stay within the parameters. Kids on the go…rushed parents…cheap rates," he called to his team as they sat in a large conference room. He hadn't seen anything that he felt was worthy of the concept, and he had no idea what to do about it. It was new territory for him, and he was traversing it blindly.

They worked until midnight, and when Edward pulled into his driveway that night, he was too exhausted to hate himself for not pushing out the deadline. He fell into his lonely bed, only giving it a quick thought, and when his alarm went off at 7:00 AM on Saturday morning, he hauled himself into a tepid shower to wake up, and after he dressed, he showed up at the office just as Siobhan walked down the hallway with pastries.

"You look like shit. What time did you leave last night?" she asked him.

"Midnight," he called as he walked to the break room and grabbed the coffee pot, pissed that it wasn't waiting for him as it always had been in the past. He was struggling to fill the carafe when Siobhan walked into the kitchen and took it from him.

"When are the rest due in?" she asked as she made coffee in both coffee makers in the kitchen, filling the hot water well for those who wanted tea.

"Half an hour," he called as he looked at his watch, seeing a few water bubbles still under the crystal and remembering his father pulling him into the pool on Thursday night. He was kicking himself for not staying at Bella's house that night, but she hadn't exactly invited him, so it wasn't really his decision to make.

"You can't come with us, so we need a gopher. You know of anyone?" he asked as he watched the coffee drip into the carafe. He knew that Siobhan had a family that she couldn't be away from for two weeks. Hell, he had a family he didn't want to be away from for two weeks. He understood her position more in that moment than he ever had before.

"We have an intern. Her name is Heidi Collins. I've been funneling work to her, but she's probably available. She's twenty-one, and she'll be a senior at UDub in the fall. She can probably go," Siobhan offered.

"Is she smart at all?" Edward asked as he pulled the pot and poured himself a cup of coffee, craving the caffeine. He wondered what Bella and the boys were doing, but he quickly put it out of his head.

"She is. She's Larry's stepdaughter. She's a communications major, and I've never had a problem with her. She's a flirt, but she seems to have a good head on her shoulders," Siobhan offered as she pulled a cruller from the box and placed it on a plate, handing it to him.

"Fine. Just make sure she knows that she's going to be doing shit work. Thanks for coming in today, by the way," he offered as he sipped his coffee. Siobhan was a gem, and he wanted to make sure she knew that he valued her.

"Boss, I have no problem getting overtime. Liam's at home with the kids, and trust me, the money's welcomed. Look, let me warn you about Heidi. I've seen the tart in action, and well, if she worked for Liam, I'd be pissed. She watches you like a hawk, and she's likely going to come on to you, so beware. I haven't met Bella, but I'd assume she won't put up with any bullshit, so just be careful," Siobhan warned.

Edward heard her, but he didn't believe it would be a problem because he was devoted to Bella. No other woman could hold a candle to her, and he wasn't worried at all about a twenty-one year old intern. She held no temptation for him whatsoever.

##

"What in the name of God are you doing?" Bella asked as she walked out onto the front porch of her house and saw Jacob with a push mower turned upside down and a metal stick in his hand. He kept moving it in one direction and then the other, and she was completely clueless as to what was going on.

It was late Friday afternoon, and she was a bit cross because she hadn't really talked to Edward. He was busy with work, and she knew that he didn't need her badgering him, but that didn't make her any easier to get along with.

"Mr. Lancaster gave us this mower in trade for two grass cuttings. I'm just sharpening the blade. If we have two mowers, we can cut twice the grass. I can cut one lawn while Jared cuts the other, and then we can do the trim work in half the time. We've had five more people ask about us cutting their grass, which would be fifteen. That's $375 a week, Ma. We'll be able to buy a new car pretty soon with all the money we're saving," he told her.

"Okay, I'm glad that you boys are able to expand your business, but you're not going to buy us a new car. That money goes into the bank account for you. I've got things under control, and knock wood, that truck is running just fine," Bella told him as she knocked on the porch railing.

"Mom, that truck is on its last leg," Jared called as he carried a gas can out of the garage.

"How was fishing?" Bella asked, changing the subject.

"We caught nothin'. We need to go to the sporting goods store to get Pop a gift. Would it be wrong if we bought something for Edward?" Jared asked her.

She thought about it and thought it was really sweet, but they hadn't mentioned their father, which worried her. "What did you have in mind for Edward and what about Dad?" she asked.

The boys laughed and shook their heads at her. "Dad? _Dad?_ He doesn't give a crap about us. He's got his new family, and we're not even on his radar. Edward's been more of a dad to us in the short time we've known him than Dad ever was. Oh, we should get something for Mr. Ted and the Doc," Jacob interjected.

His comment worried her because whether they liked it or not, Sam was their father, and they did owe him some respect. "Guys, I know that Edward treats you well and all, but your dad can't do stuff for you because he lives in Alaska. It's not that he chose his new family over you. It's that he has to live there for work," Bella defended half-heartedly.

Jared looked at her and laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, you go ahead and take up for him, but we know he's not sending child support and that you've had trouble paying the bills. We want to give you half our money for room and board to help out, and then we'll put the rest of it in the bank for school clothes," he informed.

Bella felt the tears in her eyes at her sons' generosity, but she was having none of it. "You two…you're eleven. You're not paying room and board. You're also not buying your own school clothes. I'll be working overtime for most of the summer, and I'll use the money to catch up the bills and get you school clothes. As a matter of fact, since Edward's working late tonight, why don't we go to Port Angeles and pick up some summer stuff for you, and then you can pick up gifts for whomever you'd like. We'll stop at Red Lobster for dinner, too," she offered, knowing it was one of their favorite restaurants, and there was one not far from the mall in PA.

"Cool. Let us put this away. We can sharpen it tomorrow morning. What time are we supposed to go to the Cullens' house tomorrow?" Jacob asked.

"I'll call Esme. I'm guessing after lunch, why?" she asked as she pulled the mail from the box on the house.

"We've got two new yards to cut tomorrow morning. We just wanna be sure we're done in time to get cleaned up and stuff," Jacob answered. She nodded her head and went inside the house to quickly change from work clothes and then take the boys shopping.

She wasn't sure what they had in mind for Edward or even Ted Masen and Carlisle, but she knew that they'd be stopping at the sporting good's store to pick up something for her father. It was the first time that they had their own money to spend, and she was anxious to see what they'd buy.

##

"He's never played it before, so it's best to start him out with the first one, don't you think?" Jacob asked Jared as they stood in front of the video game section at _Best Buy_. Bella had no idea for whom they were buying the game because as far as she knew, neither had played the game before, but they seemed to be on a mission, and she wasn't going to stop them.

Jared walked further down the aisle and grabbed something, walking back to Jacob. "I think he'd like this better. He talked about going ice fishin' in the winter. The rod and reel are fifteen bucks, and the game is about twelve. What do you think?" Jared asked as he showed Jacob the package in his hand.

She couldn't hold her silence any longer. "Guys, Pop doesn't have a Wii," she reminded.

"Oh, this isn't for Pop. We're gonna get him a new tackle box. This is for Mr. Ted. He said he likes Wii tennis and bowling, so I thought he'd like this," Jared explained as he handed the package to her. She saw Jacob grab a game and read the back of it, and then he handed it to her, leading her to believe she was going to be their pack mule on the shopping trip.

"_Hooked_?" she asked, seeing a large fish on the front with a hook in its mouth. The boys nodded in unison, and then quickly moved on to the DVD section.

She saw them perusing the titles, and when Jacob found something in which he was interested, she saw him motion for Jared to join him. She perused a few titles herself, vowing that she'd buy the boys a DVD player for Christmas because there were a lot of movies that she'd heard of from the girls at the office that she'd never seen because they didn't have cable. It would be something the whole family could enjoy.

"Whose that for?" she asked as she took the DVD that Jacob had handed to her. It was a compilation DVD of classic John Wayne movies, and she had no idea who they thought would enjoy it.

"Dr. C. Alice told us that he was a John Wayne fan when we asked, so he'd like that, right? I've seen a couple of those on television, and they don't suck," Jacob offered which caused Bella to laugh.

"Okay. Now, what about your dad?" she prompted again.

She saw them look at each other, and then Jake laughed. "We'll get him a card," he responded as he took the items from her hands and made his way to the checkout without waiting for a comment from her.

She hated that Sam had treated them the way he had in the past, and she hoped that he woke up before he'd done irreparable damage to his relationship with his sons. They were a lot more aware of things than she knew he gave them credit, and she knew that the way in which he was treating his sons didn't go unnoticed by either of them. She hated it for them, but she had no idea what to do about it.

##

Edward pulled into Bella's driveway and frowned when he didn't see her old truck. He looked at his watch and saw that it was just before noon, and that Esme had invited the boys over to their house for the afternoon, so he assumed that Bella was dropping them off. He was sorry to have missed them, but the next day, he'd get to spend time with them when he and Bella hosted a combined Father's Day/graduation celebration for Alice at his house. She'd graduated the week before his birthday, but the family had yet to get together to celebrate.

The plan was that after lunch, the two of them would go grocery shopping and then go to his house to begin preparations for the next day. He'd spoken briefly with his father that morning, and he smiled when he remembered the discussion as he climbed out of his car and let himself into Bella's house.

"_So, you hit the jackpot, and you didn't even call your old man and tell him. How the hell do you always come out smelling like a rose, you little shit?" Ted Masen had joked._

"_Hey, trust me, she's far too good from me. You have no idea how much she puts me through the paces, but it's worth it. What are you guys planning to do with the boys?" he'd asked. He was surprised that his parents wanted to get to know Bella's boys better, but in the grand scheme of things, he was quite happy about it. If the future played out the way he'd hoped, it would be beneficial for his parents to like the boys. He planned to have them in his life for a long time, and if his parents enjoyed spending time with them, it would bode well for his plans._

"_Jared wants to learn to play chess, so I'm planning to try to teach him. I think Carlisle and Jacob were going to work in the yard or something. Carlisle wanted to bounce some ideas off of him about a flower bed for Esme's birthday, and Carlisle said that the kid has a certain vision when it comes to things like that," his father had told him._

_He knew exactly to what Carlisle was referring because when he'd taken the boys to the nursery, Jacob knew exactly what he wanted to buy for the yard of their house. He'd just followed him around with a hand truck as Jared loaded bags of cedar mulch on another one. _

"_Yeah, he's got an eye and a green thumb to boot. So, um, what time are we supposed to pick them up?" Edward asked so he'd know how much alone time he and Bella would have that afternoon._

"_You tell me. We're giving you time alone with your girl before you go away for two weeks. How much time do you need to get the job done? When I was your age, I could…" his father began with a laugh in his voice. Edward knew to what his father's comment alluded, and he wasn't really in the mood to discuss his and Bella's sex life, but he was certainly happy for the time._

"_Dad, stop. I do not need to hear about your exploits with my dear, sainted mother. We'll pick them up at five o'clock. I'd like to spend some time with them before I go away as well," he'd informed._

"_So, you're really into this ready- made family thing?" his father had asked._

"_I don't see any way of being happy without the three of them," he'd answered. The two men had talked about the boys' father for a few minutes and then hung up the phone._

When he heard Bella's old truck sputter as it turned onto Abingdon Place, it brought to mind the fact that they needed to discuss procuring her a new vehicle. The truck had definitely lasted beyond anyone's expectations, and he was worried that she and the boys would be out somewhere and it would reach its demise at an inconvenient time, leaving her stranded when he'd be out of town and unable to rescue her.

He ripped the door open as he heard her hit the porch, and pulled her into his arms, seeing the smile on her face that he loved more than anything. After a rather sloppy kiss, he pulled away and looked into her eyes. "I'm so sorry that I've been busy. I missed you like crazy last night. I have no fucking idea how I'm going to get by for two weeks without you," he told her as he picked her up around her waist and coaxed her to wrap her gorgeous legs around his waist as he pushed the door closed with his foot.

"Well, we've got some uninterrupted time right now. Any ideas how to spend it?" she teased him.

He smiled as he walked the two of them up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom without asking. Once inside, he placed her on her feet and quickly moved to relieve her of the Mariner's shirt he'd bought her the weekend before at the gift shop at Safeco Field. "Love this on you….love it more off of you," he teased, causing her to laugh as she returned the favor and pulled his Polo shirt over his head. The jeans he was wearing had definitely caught her attention because the button-fly appeared to highlight his attributes quite nicely.

After they were naked, they slowed down and showed each other how much each had been missed. Kissing…licking…nipping…it all added to the spirit of the afternoon of reconnecting before the anticipated absence, and when Edward stroked into her, Bella gasped at the sensation, not for the first time in the few times they'd made love.

"I have no idea how I'll make it without seeing you for two weeks," Edward whispered because, while there was no one else in the house, it seemed appropriate given the intimacy of the activity in which they were engaged.

"You'll probably enjoy the break from me and my crazy," she teased as her hips met his, both enjoying the friction.

Edward stopped and looked into her eyes so that she knew he was serious. "No, I won't enjoy the break. I love you, and it's going to be torture to be away from you, Bella. You need to understand how important you and the boys are to me," he told her as he leaned forward and kissed her gently on her soft pink lips. He'd never tire of kissing her, of that he was certain.

He began moving slowly inside her to prolong the pleasure, and after several minutes, the need in both of them overtook the desire to go slowly. Edward moved faster inside her, and the groans coming from deep inside her gave him the feeling that she was well on track to meet him at the end of the road when he let go inside of her. He was quite satisfied when he heard her moan his name as he felt her shudder around him and under him just before he let go of his climax which he'd been trying to hold off. It was fantastic. It was fulfilling. It was brilliant.

Edward rolled onto his side and pulled her closer, not feeling like letting go of her, nor was he ready to get up from the bed. He was so grateful that they didn't have to use condoms because he loved feeling her bare, and he knew in his heart that she enjoyed their lovemaking as much as he did.

"Bella, I can't tell you how much I hate the fact that I have to go to Portland, but when I get back, you, me, and the boys are going to go away somewhere. I'll get a nice bonus check for this deal, and I want to take you guys away. Be thinking about where you want to go, okay?" he asked.

She turned on her side and smiled at him. "We don't have to go anywhere. Getting you home will be enough for us, trust me. We Uleys are simple people. If you can get some time off and we can go camping the weekend that the boys are with Mom and Dad at the lake, they'll be happy, trust me," she told him with a glowing smile on her face, looking into the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen in her life. The fact that he loved her was almost more than she could contemplate, and the fact that he was so accepting of her and her sons made her heart soar. It was something she never thought she'd ever find, but she was so happy that she had. She thanked the universe every day.

##

"Babe, I think those burgers are ready to come off the grill," Bella told him as he stood on the deck of his house and watched Jasper, his father, Carlisle and the twins playing Frisbee. The McCartys and Bella's parents were running late because there was a small emergency down at the police station, so they'd decided to go ahead and cook the food. They'd heat it up and set out dinner once everyone arrived, but getting the meat grilled was the priority that Sunday afternoon.

His parents had insisted that they'd come over early, and they'd brought pastries. Bella and the boys had spent the night at his house after they'd picked the twins up at Carlisle and Esme's house, and at bed time, Edward realized that the other two bedrooms of his home needed to be outfitted with decent beds because if he had his way, the family would be living with him there before the end of the year.

"Huh? What?" he asked as he turned to see her standing on the deck next to him with a plate and a smile. Her hair was up in a messy bun on top of her head, and she was wearing one of his t-shirts with it tied up at the waist, exposing just a bit of skin which drove him to madness.

She was in shorts, and she was barefoot, her pink toenails reflecting the sunshine. It was a warm day, but there was a threat of rain later that afternoon, so they were doing all of the outdoor activities early in the event that they had to spend the rest of the day inside.

"I said, I think the burgers can come off and the hot dogs can go on. The pork chops are in sauce in the oven on low, and if we're going to cook hot dogs, I think we should put them on now," Bella reiterated as she took the spatula from his hand and removed the burgers from the grill, flipping them onto the plate and handing him a package of hot dogs.

He leaned forward and kissed her lips with a smile. "I love you, Isabella Uley," he whispered, so damn happy that she and her family were in his life that he couldn't contain it.

The night before when they'd returned from Esme and Carlisle's house, they'd settled in to watch "The Fast and the Furious" on cable. It reminded Edward that Bella didn't have cable or satellite at her house, nor did she have a DVD player. It was yet another reason why they should move in with him. He had almost all of the trappings that two pre-teen boys would love, and if he needed to put in a pool to seal the deal and win them over, he wasn't above doing it.

"Hey, it's just two weeks, you know. I mean, unless you're going to disappear on me, we'll be fine, right?" she asked as she stood next to him with the plate of burgers still in her hand, clearly concerned.

Just then, Jared and Jacob ran up onto the deck. "Ma, we need to run home. We forgot…uh," Jacob stammered as he leaned down to whisper into Bella's ear. She smiled and nodded, and after they'd left, she turned back to Edward, the concern evident on her face.

"Where are they going?" Edward asked as he placed the hot dogs on the grill.

"They went shopping Friday night, and they forgot the stuff at home. So, as I was saying, we'll be okay, right?" she asked again, worry etched on her features.

"Of course we will. I just hate the idea of being away from you three," he comforted as he hugged her closer, watching his father and his brother-in-law grab beers from the cooler that rested on the stairs. They heard a commotion inside the house, and turned to see Charlie Swan and Emmett McCarty walk out, still in uniform, but thankfully unarmed.

"Where's the beer?" Emmett asked lightheartedly.

Edward pointed to the cooler, and laughed. Emmett was definitely a great neighbor, and he was grateful that his house would be under Emmett's watchful eyes. With the Uley boys taking care of his lawn, Bella gathering his mail, and Emmett watching his property, he knew he was in good hands while he was away.

"Where are Mom and Rosalie?" Bella asked as she kissed her father's cheek. Edward heard more noise inside the house and saw Renee and Rosalie appear on the deck with a pitcher of what appeared to be margaritas and four glasses, both smiling.

"We're here. It's so nice of you to have all of us over today, Edward," Renee gushed as she filled the glasses that she'd carried out to the table, offering one to Bella and Edward's mother.

"I'll be back," Bella told her as she slipped inside the house. Edward looked around his yard and was quite happy at having a large gathering there. It was actually his first since he'd bought the house, and he looked forward to doing it again in the future. With Bella and her family in his life, he looked forward to experiencing a lot of firsts.

\\\

_**E/N: Thanks for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: I'm so pleased with hearing from all of you. I'm thrilled that you are enjoying the story. Thank you so much. I know this is early, but it sets in motion a lot of changes in the story and I'm just anxious!**_

_**I'm proud to announce that I've scored Scorpio11 to beta this bad boy…or these bad boys, as we'll find out. She's a hell of a woman to take on me and my poor habits. It's a better chapter because of her. Thanks Doll!**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No copyright infringement intended. **_

_**\\\**_

12.

##

Jacob and Jared Uley were good boys at their core. They minded their mother as best they could. They understood the pressure she carried on her shoulders with trying to support them without the assistance of their father, and they tried not to be a burden, having decided that it wouldn't kill either of them to see that their dirty clothes made it to the hampers to help her out. They'd even started to pull their clean clothes out of the dryer and put them away, not folded, but in their dressers to save her the hassle nonetheless.

They mowed fifteen lawns in the three blocks that made up Piney Woods, and they tried to give their mother money which she rejected at every turn. They believed that they were in the position to try to make up for their father's shortcomings, but when she vehemently refused their help they merely kissed her cheeks and went about their business. They knew that she was putting money in the freezer jar for them, along with the remainder that she put into their bank account, and they'd made a pact not to ask her how much they'd saved until just before school started.

That being said, Jacob and Jared Uley were _still_ eleven, nearly twelve-year-old boys, and they still had a lot of mischief in their systems.

They had intentionally left behind the gifts that they'd purchased for the important men in their life so that they could meet their friend, Brady, who lived on Cameron Run. Brady's older brother had taken him to the fireworks stand the day before, and when the Uley twins found out he had the hook-up, they'd given him fifty dollars to pick up some fireworks for them to take to the lake with them. They knew that their mother would have never agreed, but they'd decided that they could hide the loot in the garage and sneak them in their sleeping bags when they packed to go camping with their grandparents around the Fourth of July.

Jared lifted the covering on the keypad that opened the garage doors from the outside, and when the door opened only about eighteen inches, they looked at each other. "What the hell?" Jared commented as he punched in the number again. Nothing happened, which caused both boys to curse as Brady pulled into their driveway on his bike with a backpack hanging off of him. They turned to see long sticks hanging out of it which they both believed to be Roman candles, so they were quite happy that their friend had been successful.

"Dude, you came through," Jacob called as he walked over to relieve his friend of the backpack.

"I want this back. It's the only one I have," Brady instructed. Jacob nodded, and without further comment, Brady rode off on his bike toward the stop sign at the end of Abingdon Place.

"How the hell do we get in? We didn't bring our keys," Jared asked his brother as he watched him inspect the contents of the black North Face bag in his hands.

"Scoot under and hit it from the inside," Jacob suggested without taking his attention away from perusing their booty. He was quite pleased to see cherry bombs and firecrackers at the bottom of the bag, just as they'd requested.

Jared sat down on the driveway and crawled under the garage door, sucking in his stomach in order to fit in the space. He knew he was smaller than his brother, and he'd guess that Jake would have never been able to fit under the door. Teasing him about the size of his head came to Jared's mind, but they were in a hurry, so he decided to let it go.

He hurried to the back door that led to the kitchen from the garage, and he hit the button, annoyed that nothing happened. He hit it several times, and then flipped the switch to turn on the light, and when the light didn't come on, he groaned.

He walked back to the cracked garage door and yelled, "Hey, the power is out again. Do you think she didn't pay the bill?"

"I don't think Edward would let her get by with that again, but go inside and open the front door. I'll check the box like Edward showed me, and then we'll get back. If the power's out, Ma's gonna need to call the electric company anyway," Jacob answered.

He walked up on the front porch and waited for Jared to open the door, and when he did, Jacob handed him the backpack and ambled into the kitchen to find the fuse box, flipping light switches along the way with no success. "Here. Go hide this by the lawn mowers. She'll never look there. I'll check the box and grab the bag with the stuff," Jacob suggested, happy when his brother didn't argue with him.

Jacob went to the fuse box and opened it, seeing that all of the switches were fine except for a large, black one that looked like a big handle. It was flipped in the opposite direction of the other eleven in the box. With some effort on his part, he flipped it back, seeing it spark a bit, but when the lights came on in the house, he closed the box and began turning off the lights he'd flipped on, leaving the hallway light on so that they could see when they returned to the house later that night.

He walked out the back door and hit the garage door button, seeing it slowly lumber up as he noticed his brother taking the fireworks from the backpack and stashing them in a box next to the gas cans that the boys used for their lawn mowing jobs. The McCarty's mower was in their garage because Rosalie McCarty had told them that she liked being able to park both cars in the garage, and since half of theirs wasn't used, they could keep the mower at their house for the remainder of the summer and early fall.

"Got 'em hidden? I don't think she'll come out here and look around, but if she does, our asses are grass," Jacob observed with a laugh at the irony of hiding the fireworks by the lawnmowers that were, indeed, used to mow grass.

"You're an idiot," Jared informed as the two left the garage and closed the door at the keypad, hurrying back to Edward's house so as not to miss the food. The one thing that the boys never turned away was food, and they'd seen the women at the house making a lot of it. They both knew that there were a limited number of pork chops, and neither wanted to miss them because they were a favorite, so they wanted to be first in line when it was time to make plates.

##

Dinner had been served, and everyone had eaten their fill. They'd decided to wait to enjoy the pies that Esme had brought with her until dinner had settled, so it was time to hand out the Father's Day gifts.

Bella was quite proud of her sons for their attention to detail when it came to purchasing gifts for the men in their lives. She was sad that they'd only decided to purchase their father a dollar card that they still hadn't bothered to fill out to mail, but that was something she'd decided she'd leave to them. She would not interfere in their relationship with Sam. She'd be as encouraging as she could without lying to them, but she'd not fill them with false hope for their father to change his ways because she knew that was never going to happen.

"Guys, if you want to hand out gifts, you can do it now before dessert," Bella instructed her sons who were playing a game of catch in the yard with their new gloves and an old baseball that Edward had around.

They both jogged toward the house and flew inside, returning a moment later with several packages that were wrapped in a very haphazard manner, but she knew that none of the recipients would have a problem with the wrapping because they would see the sentiment behind the gifts.

"Pop…Mr. Ted…Dr. C…and Edward," they announced as they handed out the gifts. They hadn't bothered with cards, which Bella had assured them was acceptable, and she saw them watch on pins and needles as the packages were opened.

"Guys, what's this for," Bella heard Edward ask with a look of surprise on his face which caused her to chuckle and gush with pride that her boys thought so much of him that they had purchased him a gift.

"Well, you're not our dad, but you're better to us than he is, so we got you a gift," Jacob explained matter-of-factly. Bella felt the tears in her eyes and turned to look at her father before she cried in front of the crowd gathered on Edward's deck.

"Dad, the big thing is from the boys. The thing inside is from me," she explained to her father as he worked to remove the paper from the package on his lap. She could see by the look on his face that he was thinking about the boys' comment regarding their father, and she truly hoped that he didn't go home and call Sam. She was pretty sure that if he did, the things he'd say would cause her to receive a rather heated phone call from her ex, and things were going too well in her life for her to want to be bothered.

When Charlie saw it was a new tackle box, he smiled. He opened it and found the gift card she'd purchased for him from the sporting goods store, and he turned to her. "This is great. I needed a new tackle box. My old one is all rusted out. Thanks you three," he announced. Bella could see he was touched, but she knew he was uncomfortable with showing emotion, so she didn't say anything more, turning her attention to Carlisle, who was tearing the paper off his gift in the same manner in which she'd seen Jacob and Jared attack Christmas packages.

When the paper was gone, she saw the smile on his face. "John Wayne? This is great. He's my favorite actor. Thank you," he remarked to the twins as he stood and high fived the two boys. Bella was happy that he didn't try to hug them because she knew it would only embarrass the boys, and the fact that Carlisle seemed to understand it confirmed to her that he was as kind as she'd always imagined.

Ted Masen was next to open his gifts and she saw him smile. "This is cool. How'd you guys know?" Ted asked as he held up the game and accompanying controller that was shaped like a fishing pole. Bella saw Liza walk over to where he sat and examine the gift with a gentle smile on her face. She gave the Uley twins a wink, and patted her husband's back, leaning over to whisper in his ear.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Guys, we insist that you come to Chicago before school starts. You can come with or without your mom and Edward," Ted asserted with a smile.

"Hey, I'm not invited?" Edward complained with a pitch in his voice that caused everyone on the deck to laugh.

Jasper called, "I think you've been replaced," from his spot next to Alice which caused Edward to turn and discreetly flip him off.

"Can we go to a baseball game?" Jared asked, causing Bella to stiffen at his boldness.

"Yeah, the firm has a box, so we can plan it around a long home stand. Liza hates going, but I've got a friend who likes to come with me, so the four of us can go as much as you'd like," Ted responded with a wink to Bella. She laughed, happy to have the Masen family in her life.

"That's fine. I think we should send all the men to Chicago for a few days, and we ladies will go to, uh, maybe an island somewhere where there are cute cabana boys," Esme chanted with a laugh.

"Oh, I want in on that," Rosalie called which caused everyone on the deck to laugh.

"My turn," Edward called as he ripped the paper off the box that he held in his hands. Bella watched him flip it over and then smile broadly.

"Oh, yeah! This is great," Edward called as he looked at the universal remote that he held in his hands.

"Dude, you've got a television, a DVD player, a cable box, and that sound system. We thought about a book or somethin' but Mom didn't know what kind of stuff you liked to read, so we got that. Now, you can get rid of all the remotes. They're confusin' anyway," Jared offered as Edward held up his fist to each of them.

Bella was happy that he, too, knew that a hug or anything remotely close would make them uncomfortable. It was yet another reason why she loved him.

##

Edward was completely overwhelmed by the fact that the boys had bought him a Father's Day gift, and then when they explained it, he felt even more emotions that surprised him. He'd always known that the twins were special, but until that moment, he hadn't exactly considered how special they actually were.

He'd thanked them for the gift, and he motioned for them to follow him inside. Once the three settled in the kitchen, he handed them the house phone. "Do you guys wanna call your dad?" he asked. If he was actually the boys' father, he'd miss hearing from them on Father's Day. He didn't have a lot of respect for Sam Uley, based on everything he'd heard about the man, but he'd offer the boys the opportunity to call him if they wished.

Just as Jared took the phone from his hand, they heard uproar on the deck. Edward turned in time to see Bella, her father, Emmett, and Jasper running through the yard. What the hell?" Edward asked as he stepped out onto the deck, looking at his mother, Esme, Alice and Rosalie for answers.

"Edward, Bella's house is on fire," Esme informed. Without hearing another word, he was off the deck and through the yard. Just as he hit Abingdon Place, he heard the sirens of the fire trucks. He heard noises behind him, and turned to see Jared and Jacob behind him with the rest of his company on the trail.

As he got closer to the end of the block, he saw the neighbors on their lawns. Just as he reached where Emmett and Charlie were trying to get the neighbors out of the way to give the firemen room to work, there was a loud explosion from inside the house, followed by a lot of bangs, and a few whistling sounds. He had no idea what they were, but he heard Jacob gasp, "Oh, fuck. The fireworks."

Whatever had happened at the Uley house, he knew it wasn't good, but for a fleeting moment, he knew that he'd be there for Bella and the boys regardless. They were important to him, and he could see for certain that she'd need him, which propelled him to find her in the crowd where she stood, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Bella, honey, come here," he ordered, still breathless from the sprint to her house from his.

"God, Edward, everything is going to be gone. We'll have nothing," she choked out between sobs.

"It's going to be fine. You're all safe, and you can stay at my house. We'll call your insurance company to get them working on the claim right away," he offered as he held her, feeling the wetness from her tears soak into his t-shirt.

"Insurance?" she asked, looking up at him with huge tears on her face and still in her eyes.

"Yes, sweetheart, your renter's insurance should cover your contents. We'll figure things out until they send your check. You can stay at my house and use my car while we sort everything out. I'll put off going to Portland this week. My team can take care of things alone for a few days. We'll get through this," he replied, holding her close.

He turned to his left and saw Jacob and Jared in a heated discussion, wondering what it was about, and he decided that he should investigate it because, if they'd done anything to cause the fire, he knew the insurance wouldn't pay off. That would be the worst thing in the world.

##

Bella stood sobbing into Edward's shirt as she heard the sounds around her, not having the wherewithal to watch everything she owned either go up in flames or become ruined by water damage. One thing that Edward had mentioned, however, caught her attention.

"_It's going to be fine. You're all safe, and you can stay at my house. We'll call your insurance company to get them working on the claim right away,"_ he'd said. That reminded her that she'd neglected something very important. She hadn't looked into renters' insurance.

In the apartment, she hadn't had the money to consider it, and she'd just only started earning enough to be able to catch up with the bills and expenses, and while it was on her to-do list, she hadn't actually checked into it to date.

She didn't have the heart to mention it to him, knowing he'd see her as irresponsible yet again, so she said nothing when he pulled away and walked back to where Jacob and Jared stood talking rather adamantly.

She felt two arms around her and turned to see her mother on one side of her with tears in her eyes, and Liza Masen on the other side of her offering comfort. "Honey, we'll get through this. I've got clothes for you, and we can go to Goodwill tomorrow and find stuff for the boys," her mother told her as she stood crying next to Bella.

All Bella could think about was how she'd messed everything up again by not having renters' insurance. She'd never be able to replace the contents, nevertheless recover photos and mementos from the boys' childhood. It was obviously a total loss, and she had no idea where it would leave her and her sons. Yet again, they were going to have to start over, and she didn't know that the camping tent in her father's garage wouldn't be their home. It was a bad spot to be in, and she wasn't at all prepared for it.

##

"What do you mean that you think you started the fire?" Edward asked quietly. He was trying to understand what the two hysterical boys were saying, and he could tell that they were both on the verge of tears, so he led them away from the crowd and onto a neighboring porch to find out what had happened.

"We came to get the gifts, and well, we were meeting Brady because his brother bought us fireworks to take to the lake. We hid 'em in the garage, next to the lawn mower and the gas cans, and we're pretty sure that the banging and the whistling was them goin' off. God, she's going to be so pissed at us," Jacob lamented as he put his head down on his knees.

"Did you light anything? You know, like punks or matches or anything? Did you set any off in the garage," Edward asked, trying to understand.

"No, of course we didn't. We ain't dumb, you know. We only hid 'em. Look, we came home, and when we hit the garage door, it only opened a little bit, so I had to slide under. The power was off, and we thought for a minute that Mom hadn't paid the bill again. I let Jake in and he checked the fuse box," Jared began.

"And, the big black switch was flipped, but I forced it back, and then the power came back on. It sparked a little, but I guessed it was because I forced it. We left the house and then came to your place. Just having the fireworks next to the gas wouldn't cause 'em to go off would it?" Jacob asked, obviously nervous.

"Well, no. If nothing was lit, just having the fireworks next to the gas…wait, did the fuse box smoke?" Edward asked, getting a clearer picture of what might have happened.

"I didn't hang around to see. When the lights came back on, we left. Did we start this?" Jacob asked.

"No, you didn't. It sounds like it was electrical. Your mom's insurance should cover it," he replied as he turned back to see the house engulfed in flames.

"Insurance? What kind of insurance?" Jared asked.

"Renters' insurance. The homeowner will have insurance on the house, but it won't cover your stuff. Your mom's policy will cover your stuff, and as soon as they cut the check, we can start figuring out things, but in the meantime, you guys can stay with me. I'll go tomorrow and buy another bed, and I'll kick Jasper out so you guys can have your own rooms," Edward told them, pulling his phone from his shorts and sending a text to Siobhan that he wouldn't be in the office the next day.

There would be a lot to do get Bella and the boys settled, shopping being the most important thing because based on what he was witnessing the house would be a total burnout. There was no way that Bella could turn away his offer of assistance, and that made him glad that he was in her life. He'd help her do whatever she needed.

##

As the last flames were doused, Bella walked over to one of the firemen to ask what she determined was a simple question. "Do you know what started it?"

"Not yet. The investigators have to come out and look it over, but based on what we were told, the house was condemned because of bad wiring and fire code violations. The owner wasn't supposed to rent it. When did you move in?" the young man asked her.

"We've lived here for about two months, and I know nothing about it being condemned. When we moved in, there'd been work done, and it had been freshly painted. Are you sure it was condemned?" she asked in surprise. Nothing about the house led her to believe there were any problems with it. When she thought about it, though, it was a lot of house for the low rent that she paid, so she did give the man's words some credence.

"Ma'am, the dispatcher told us that it was uninhabited. That's why we made sure the neighbors' houses weren't going to suffer any damage first. We had no idea that anyone lived here. It wasn't fit for occupancy," the young man told her which made her cry yet again.

She felt a strong arm around her and a kiss to her temple. "Love, what's your insurance company?" Edward whispered in her ear as he pulled out his cell phone.

She hated to tell him the truth, but there was no way to avoid it. "I didn't have insurance. I hadn't gotten around to it," she confessed as she felt the tears begin again.

She felt his body grow rigid next to her, knowing that he would think her stupid, but if it came to putting food on the table and clothes on the backs of her sons or spending the money to insure the awful furniture in the house, she'd go for food and clothes every time. It was a choice she'd made, and she'd never regret it. Taking care of her sons was her priority, and she felt she'd failed, which was what fueled the tears.

Emmett McCarty walked over to where she and Edward were talking, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see the look of pity on his face, and it was then that she remembered that his lawn mower had been in her garage, causing yet another round of tears. When she was able to collect herself, she said, "Emmett, I'm so sorry about your mower. I swear I'll get you another one."

She saw him shake his head and smile at her. "Trust me, Bella, that mower is the least of my worries. You guys can stay with us for a while if you need to," he offered as Rosalie joined him, nodding in agreement.

Edward cleared his throat, and she turned to see him looking down at her with a tender smile. "There's no need for that. They can stay with me. We'll get through this, love, I promise you, but you and the boys have a home with me. I wanted you to move in anyway, but I was biding my time. Looks like fate stepped in. Come on, let's go back to the house and make some calls," Edward informed as he held her close.

"Calls to whom? I told you, I don't have insurance," she reminded quietly, hiding the embarrassment on her face in his chest.

"First, to a lawyer. I heard what the fireman said, and I believe you have a basis to sue your landlord. Maybe you don't have insurance, but he wasn't acting in good faith when he rented you the property. There's legal recourse. Let's get the boys and go home. Hell, they think it's their fault that the house burned down," Edward informed.

"Oh, God, what did they do?" she asked, expecting the worst.

"Nothing. They didn't do anything except reset the breaker. Jake didn't know that it was unusual for it to spark when you flipped it, so he didn't say anything, but this fire, this was because of a slumlord, not because of anything any of you did. Let's go home, love," Edward ordered.

"Boys, let's go," Edward called as he held her hand, leading her back down the block. She wasn't able to process anything. She simply followed, hearing the boys behind her as they walked down the sidewalk of Abingdon Place to cut across the neighbors' yards to Edward's house on Bennett Circle.

##

"Guys, why don't you take this remote and go inside and see if you can figure out how to sync up all the others. I'm pretty sure you can figure it out better than me," Edward called to the Uley brothers as he handed them the box. After they were inside, he handed Bella a beer from the cooler, pulling out one for himself, and then the pair settled on a chair, her on his lap, at the table where half-filled drinks remained that reminded them of the great afternoon they'd been enjoying before the fire.

"I should go inside and clean up…" Bella began before she cried again. Edward could tell she was thinking of everything she'd lost, and he wasn't going to let her suffer alone.

"Hey, stop. We'll get you through this. First order of business is to get you guys some clothes. I think you've got some underwear upstairs that I washed with my stuff, but you're going to need clothes, as will the boys. I'm sending Jasper home with Es and Carlisle, and tomorrow, we'll go shopping and get you guys what you need. I'm going to order another bed so that the boys can have their own rooms, but we'll need to get sheets and shit for it. Bella, you're all safe. That's the most important thing to remember," he determined as he held her on his lap, watching closely for her reaction.

"Edward, it's not your…" she began as the tears continued to fall. He took the beer from her hand and turned her to look into his eyes. She _was_ going to listen to him.

"Isabella, it _is_ my problem. I love you, and I love your boys, so it _is_ my problem. I'll be gone for two weeks, and you guys can stay here. We'll figure out what to do about things when I get back home, but for now, you're living here. I want you here anyway, and if I have my way, you won't ever leave," he told her as he pulled her closer to him and kissed her cheek, hoping it was reassuring to her. That was how he meant it, but he was a pretty clueless guy when it came to love, so he wasn't sure.

Just then, a large fireman walked up on the deck with Emmett and his parents. Edward and Bella looked at the young man who had a blackened jar in his hand. "Mrs. Uley, the house is a loss, but we found this in the freezer in the kitchen which wasn't completely destroyed. I doubt that there's anything salvageable, but we thought you'd want it," he told her as he handed it to her. She twisted off the lid, and a small smile found its way on her tear-stained face.

"What is it?" Edward asked as he tried to peer into the jar.

"It's Jake and Jared's grass cutting money," she responded as she dumped the jar on the table, revealing a wad of cash. In that moment, Edward knew that they'd be okay. It wouldn't be easy, but they'd be okay.

\\\

_**E/N: So, um, we had a bit of drama, but I'm interested in your thoughts on the matter.**_

_**Thank you so much for reading. I'm so grateful that you even give me time out of your day. **_

_**Just a heads-up…I've got another story started on FF. It's called "She Said…He Said. **_

_**Full Summary:**_

There are two sides to every love story. Bella Swan, photography major at a liberal arts college in Indiana, had a lot to contend with…overbearing parents, a roommate she didn't know at all, and a prankster brother who brought along a best friend for whom she fell hard. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell him or show him, but it didn't mean that she didn't have the feelings.

Edward Cullen's best friend was a great guy, if not a bit over-the-top. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The problem he had with Emmett Swan was…his little sister. Waiting for her to grow up and get out of the clenches of her family had been difficult. Once she did, could he act on his feelings? Would she return them? What would he do about his own overbearing parents?

A/H. E/B and canon all around. OOC, of course. The first half of the story is told by her. The second half is told by him. Rated M for all the right reasons…language, under-age drinking, lemons, adult situations…you know the drill.

_**I hope you'll check it out.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Hello, all! Thank you so much for your reviews and support of this tale. I truly love reading your thoughts, and it's always entertaining to read what you think about the action.**_

_**Thanks to Scorpio11, beta of this one. Trust me…the chapters are better because of her! **_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No infringement intended.**_

_**We're still suffering the aftermath of the fire. It's the same day…**_

13.

"I'll drop off some clothes tomorrow," Rosalie told Bella as she and Emmett prepared to leave Edward's home. The neighbors of Piney Woods had come by Edward's house all evening once the word had spread to see what they could do to help the family, and Bella was truly touched by their kindness.

She thought back to the apartment where they'd lived, and she knew that no one in the complex would care about them or if they had needs, but her neighbors in the subdivision had offered food, clothing, shelter, use of automobiles and lawn mowers so that the boys didn't have to lose their jobs. The greatest offering, however, had been from Edward Masen.

"_You guys will just live here with me. I've wanted it anyway, so look at it as fate stepping in_," he'd told her. She didn't want to look at it that way, but he'd seemed so resolute, and she was so defeated in that moment, that she couldn't argue.

Her life had been full of drama, and she was so tired of it that when Emmett announced on the deck that her house was on fire, she wasn't really surprised. It was just par for the fucking course, in her opinion.

Nothing in her house really held much significance except for their clothes, the boys' baby books, and their money in the freezer. Everything else was less important, but she knew that as the reality of the situation set in, she'd remember things that couldn't be replaced. All she really wanted to do was lay down and go to sleep, not thinking about it until the next day. Some would say it was running from the problem, but Bella believed it was necessary to her survival.

After everyone left, she put away the leftovers with Edward working quietly by her side. The boys had decided to sleep in the living room on blankets, and Jasper was set to relocate the next day. He wasn't ready to leave Forks yet because Alice was there, and Bella could see that he was getting to know Carlisle and Esme. She knew he didn't want to toss that headway under the bus, so he was being cautious, but she was pretty sure that he had plans for Alice Cullen.

Bella and Edward went to bed that night after she sat and talked to her sons, allaying any fears that they might have regarding the future. "Guys, we're not beaten here, okay? We'll figure this out, I swear," she'd told them before Edward led her upstairs and tossed her a t-shirt of his before he went into the bathroom and closed the door.

She'd changed, and she fell asleep before he ever came back, feeling exhaustion seeping into her bones. She woke sometime later, feeling Edward wrapped around her, holding her tightly. She vaguely remembered hearing him speaking to her as she slept, but she couldn't remember what he'd said. She was just grateful for his presence in her life and his love and support. She had no idea what she'd do without it.

##

Edward went to take a quick shower after he'd seen that Bella had something to sleep in, and by the time he'd finished brushing his teeth, she was asleep. He pulled on boxers and a t-shirt and went back downstairs to check on Jacob and Jared, knowing that the two still felt guilty over the fire, and he was happy to see that the two of them were also asleep. He turned off the television, and as he was about to climb the stairs back to his room to turn in for the night, he heard, "Edward?"

He walked back into the living room, seeing that Jacob was sitting up on the floor, looking very troubled. "Hey, Jake. You okay? You know, your brother seems out, so you can probably take the couch if the floor is too hard," he offered as he stood next to the large chair in the living room.

"When I forced that breaker, did I start the fire?" Jake asked quietly. Edward walked around the chair and sat down, knowing a flip answer of "hell no" wouldn't do.

"Jake, the house was never meant to be rented out from what we were told. The landlord should never have let you guys move in. Your lawn mowers or gas or fireworks didn't have anything to do with the fire. The fact that you flipped that breaker didn't have anything to do with it either. It was faulty wiring from what they guess, but we'll know for sure in a few days, and then we'll decide what to do, okay? Don't worry about it. Tomorrow, I'll take you guys to the store to get some clothes, and we'll get another bed so you don't have to sleep down here again, okay? Don't worry about anything. Your mom and I have this," he reassured, or at least he hoped he did. He'd never been in the position before.

"You're good to us. You're better to us than our own dad," Jacob called in the semi-darkness of the living room. It was raining, but there was still the light from the neighbor's flood light that illuminated the living room.

"You guys make it very easy. Don't worry about anything, okay? We're in this together, all four of us," Edward assured as he rose from the chair and slowly walked up the stairs to his room, not quite sure what else to say to the young boy.

He'd never experienced anything so devastating in his life, and he wasn't sure how to comfort the family, but he'd try his damnedest to figure it out. He owed it to them. They'd shown him love and compassion, and he'd taken every bit of it that he could get. It was his turn to show it to them.

When he climbed into bed, he could tell that Bella was restless. He wrapped his arms around her, absorbing her heat and whispering, "We will figure this out. I love you and I love your sons. As a family, we will figure this out." With that, he fell into a restful sleep, happy to hold her next to him. He determined that it was probably all he'd ever need.

##

"It's all too long," Bella called to him as she walked out of the bathroom in another dress that Rosalie had dropped off for her. The fact that Bella was only five-foot-three and Rosalie was five-foot-ten hadn't seemed to resonate with the buxom blonde, and as much as Bella didn't want to hurt her feelings for her generosity, nothing fit…especially in the boob area.

"Yeah, that's not good. Just throw on your shorts and t-shirt, and we'll go shopping. The boys need clothes, too," Edward demanded for about the tenth time that morning. She could see he was the end of his patience with her, but she was trying to make do until things were sorted. It was her way, and she wouldn't be hurried.

"I don't have the money for shopping. I just need to go to Mom's and raid her closet. I can go to Goodwill and get the boys stuff to replace what we just bought. Shit, I just spend a couple hundred dollars on them on Friday. All the stuff was still in the bags," she lamented as she pulled off the purple dress and stood in the bedroom in her bra and panties that Monday morning.

Edward walked over to where she stood and picked her up. He could hear the television on downstairs, so he knew they wouldn't be interrupted. He'd made a run to McDonald's earlier and picked up breakfast sandwiches which seemed to satisfy the boys, and he'd made coffee for himself and Bella. She was grateful for his efforts, but she didn't want to rely on him too much. He had his own life to live and she believed herself to be jinxed, so she didn't want him to put himself out too much.

When he deposited her on the bed and pulled his t-shirt off, pinning her to the bed, she actually laughed for the first time in hours. The day before had been so wonderful until the fire, and she was thankful for any reason to laugh.

"I've got you here now, and you do know that I'm not letting you leave, right?" he asked against her neck as he nipped and sucked his way slowly up to her jaw.

When his lips met hers, she melted under him, grateful to feel the weight of him on top of her. It was the best distraction in the world. She felt him hard against her hip through his basketball shorts, and she didn't resist reaching down and palming him, happy with the moan she elicited from him.

"God, I love you," he groaned as he shoved his hands under the bra she was wearing, shoving it up to expose her right breast and quickly moving to take her hardening nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it and nipping gently, causing her to let out a large breath at the feel.

"_Gah_…I love you too, but we aren't your responsibility," she whispered as she twined her hands into his hair to hold him exactly where she wanted him. His touch was magic to her, and she wouldn't ever lie and say it wasn't welcomed.

When he pulled away, she wasn't exactly happy about it. She opened her eyes to see him looking quite pissed off, and when he sat up on the bed and scrubbed his hands over his face, she was at a loss as to why. "What's wrong?" she asked as she adjusted her bra.

"I could seriously beat the fuck out of Sam Uley. You have no idea, do you? You just don't know what you deserve, and when you get it, you don't know how to handle it, do you? Well, here's the deal. I'm still leaving on Wednesday for Portland. I wish I didn't have to, but I want that bonus check more now than ever. You and the boys will stay here. We are going shopping if I have to carry you to the car, and while I'm gone, you're going to make this house into a home, got it?" he demanded.

Shocked was a word.

Surprised was another.

Pissed was certainly in there because it felt like he was ordering her around, and she'd had enough of that in her lifetime.

Also, though, much to her surprise was an explosion of love in her heart. In that moment, she could see beyond a shadow of a doubt that every fear she'd had regarding the younger Edward Masen's sincerity was unwarranted.

He loved her.

He'd do anything for her.

He'd likely piss her off repeatedly over time.

But, there would be the most wonderful make-up sex in the world.

Those were things she knew that Monday morning, and she laughed at the sheer simplicity of it.

The man loved her and would do anything for her.

That was the long and short of it, and she'd be a fool not to embrace it. That was what her gut told her that morning, and that was exactly what she intended to do. Embrace it. Nothing seemed simpler to her in her life.

##

The nearest Nordstrom's was just over two hours away in Lynnwood, so Edward decided that they'd make a day of it. After he and Bella made love, they'd quickly showered together, and were able to get the boys out of the house by 9:00 AM, much to Edward's surprise.

The drive had been quiet, which unnerved him, and when he pulled into the parking lot of the shopping mall, he turned to see the scowl on Bella's face. "Don't look at me like that. This is easier," he called as he hopped out of the Mercedes and walked around to open her door, taking her hand and pulling her out before she could complain.

The four of them made their way to the store, and Edward walked to the first counter he could find. "Hi. Can you call Carmen Denali for me please and ask her to meet us in the women's department?" he asked the young man behind the counter who was eyeing him with a lot more interest than he was actually comfortable.

"Of course. May I tell her who's looking for her?" the guy asked with a flourish.

"Edward Masen," he answered. The guy smiled at him and walked away, causing Edward to shudder a bit and Jacob and Jared to laugh. He turned to them and scowled.

"Go ahead to the sportswear department. It's straight ahead on the right. I'll be there in ten minutes. You need shorts, shirts, some jeans, and then we'll get underclothes," he ordered to the Uley boys.

"Edward, we can go to Walmart," Bella protested.

"We're not going to Walmart or Goodwill, okay? We're here, and it's the most efficient way to get this done. After we're done in sportswear, we're going to Foot Locker. I assume we'll finish before you, so we'll come find you upstairs. Boys, go ahead. I'm gonna take your mom and introduce her to Carmen," Edward ordered.

Once the boys were making their way down the large aisle, Edward took Bella's hand and led her to the escalator for the second floor. He could tell she was pissed off, but in his mind, it was the easiest way to handle everything, and he wasn't in the mood to take no for an answer.

While they were on the escalator, him behind her on a lower step, Bella turned to him and snapped, "Is this Carmen one of the International Pussy Parade?"

He chuckled at the jealousy in her voice, and he was quite anxious for her to meet the woman. "You're really cute when you're jealous. Regarding my relationship with Carmen, I'll leave that for you to figure out," he whispered in her ear as he snaked his tongue along the spot behind her ear that he'd learned made her breathless.

"Lovely," she commented as the couple stepped off of the escalator. Bella saw an elegantly dressed woman standing off to the side with a glowing smile on her face. When she saw the two of them, she hurried over and embraced Edward, nearly knocking him down.

"It has been too long, you scamp. Where have you been buying your clothes, young man?" the woman asked him as she slapped his chest playfully.

He noticed Bella take in her appearance, and he was sure that she didn't know exactly what to think. "I haven't needed anything for a while. Carmen, this is my girlfriend, Bella. She needs the works. She lost everything in a fire recently, and she needs to be outfitted from head to toe. Here's my card, and I'll leave her in your capable hands," Edward told the woman as he handed her his store charge.

He turned to Bella and smiled, caressing the side of her face. "This is Carlisle's sister, Carmen. She'll help you find whatever you need. Don't make me have to come back up here and sit with you. I expect armloads of shopping bags when we come back," he told her before he leaned forward and kissed her gently, hearing Carmen laugh next to them.

"I'll take care of her. Come, Bella, let's get started. What do you do for a living, dear?" he heard Carmen ask as she led Bella away. He could tell that Bella was stunned, and he was happy. He hurried around the corner to the down escalator to find the boys and help them because he was pretty sure that the price tags would scare them off of making any purchases. He was in no mood to dawdle.

##

"Shit! Look at these prices," Jacob complained to Jared as the two stood looking at a table full of Polo shirts. They knew the brand because their friend, Brady, had several, but his parents had a lot more money than their mother, so they didn't own anything of the sort. The nearly sixty-dollar price tag was more than either was prepared to see.

When Edward joined them, he could see the looks on their faces, and he knew that Bella wasn't the only Uley he was going to fight with that day. "Guys, find something you like?" he asked as he picked up a couple of Polo shirts, flipping through sizes. He guessed Jacob at a medium and Jared at a small, so he moved around the table and grabbed several colors in their respective sizes.

"Any colors you don't like?" he asked as they followed him around the table, neither saying anything.

"Um, no pink, but we can go to the sale rack. This stuff is expensive, and we cut grass. These fancy shirts would only get messed up," Jared commented.

"We'll get you some stuff to work in. I'm thinking about things to wear when we go out for dinner, or when you hang out with girls. Not for nothin', but I've found that the texture of a shirt is very important to girls. They like something soft to touch," he taunted, seeing the two of their faces light up. Yeah, he was pretty sure that Bella needed to have a discussion with them quite soon.

"We'll pay ya back," Jacob told him as he started perusing the table more seriously, finding five shirts to his liking. Edward checked the sizes, grabbed several for Jared, and led them to a table of shorts and khaki pants.

And so it went for an hour, with the last stop at Nordstrom being the underwear department. After each boy was sufficiently outfitted with enough underwear for ten days without laundry, he led them out into the mall to Foot Locker where he purchased them each a couple pair of sneakers, and the last stop was at an electronics store.

"Where are the gaming systems?" Edward asked a skinny guy who looked no older than Jared and Jake.

"This way," the kid told him. He led them over three aisles into what Edward deemed was video game hell, and he turned to Jared and Jake.

"Okay, pick one. I know nothing about this stuff, but I know we need one," he ordered.

"Dude, we had an old Nintendo 64. These are a lot nicer than anything we had," Jacob informed as he appeared to peruse the price tags attached to the ends of the shelves.

"Yeah, well, they don't make those anymore, so a Wii it is," Edward announced as he walked over to the shelf and picked up a large box that seemed to offer the most bang for the buck.

He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a stack of cash, peeling off four hundreds and handing two to each of the boys. "Okay. I'm going to pay for this, and take it and your bags to the car. You guys get games or movies or whatever, and then come back to Nordstrom's. Come up to the second floor, and ask for Carmen Denali. I'll meet you there. I have a feeling I'll be fighting with your mom," he told the twins, hearing them laughing as he turned to go to the checkout. After he paid, he collected all of the bags and hurried to the car. _Next stop…Armageddon…_

##

"These are basic pieces, Bella. You can mix them with those tops and create many looks with them. It's the least amount of a work wardrobe I can put together in good conscience," Carmen told Bella, obviously exasperated with dealing with her and her constant complaints.

It had been a draining two hours for Bella, but she had acquiesced on some things because she did need clothes. She was keeping a running tally in her head of how much things were, and she wasn't exactly happy that the woman kept steering her away from the sale racks.

"I can actually wear scrubs at work, so I honestly say that these things are unnecessary," Bella reasoned as she unbuttoned the silk blouse that cost more than most of the things she'd owned prior to the fire.

She saw the woman take out her cell phone and roll her eyes. "I'll be back. Try on the Tahari. It's a beautiful dress, and you can't wear scrubs on a date," the woman snapped at her, clearly at the end of her patience.

Just as Bella was hanging up the pencil skirt, she heard the door open behind her, and looked in the mirror to see Edward standing behind her with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't look too happy as he appeared to peruse her nearly naked body.

"So, Carmen tells me that you're being difficult. I told her I wasn't surprised, and then I ordered her to put together a wardrobe to last you for the summer and have everything ready to pick up in an hour. Why are you fighting me?" he asked. He was also exasperated with her…she could tell, but she felt the same with him.

"I haven't had anyone ordering around like this in a very long time, and I'm not very happy about it. I'm not used to these expensive things, Edward. They're not me. I can't afford to pay you back for all of this, and I'm petrified to know how much you just spent on the boys. You have to understand," she began, pulling on her t-shirt and shorts that she'd worn the day before.

"Goddammit, you have got to be the most pigheaded, obstinate woman I've ever met," he complained as he crossed the dressing room and scooped her up, taking her to the bench in the room and sitting down with her on his lap.

"That's redundant," she pointed out.

"What?" he asked.

"Pigheaded and obstinate mean the same thing," she informed with a smirk on her face.

"Fine…pick one. You're it. Now, either you pick things or I'll pick things, and I don't know if Carlisle's office is ready for how scantily clad you'll be. Please. I can do this. Just…fuck…just let me, okay?" he pleaded as he looked into her eyes, completely disarming her yet again.

"God, fine. This stuff is fine," she relented, much to her dismay. The smile on his face and the soft kiss he gave her led her to believe that her days of handling her problems alone were coming to an end…at least for a while.

The rest of the day was spent stopping for lunch, stopping at a furniture store to buy two bedroom sets that were going to be delivered the next day, stopping at a linen store for bedding and more towels, and then taking the long drive back to Forks. The backseat was quiet, and when Bella looked back, she saw that her sons had fallen asleep, having been completely worn out.

"You're a wonderful man, Edward," Bella whispered as she took his hand that rested on the console, pulling it onto her lap to caress it as they drove home.

"Not really, but you seem to bring out the best in me, love," he responded as he squeezed her hand.

##

"Bella, is there anything you need?" Angela asked her the next day when she walked into the office. She knew that word had likely traveled among the staff the day before because Carlisle and Esme had been at Edward's house when the fire broke out, and while she didn't want to think about it, she did appreciate their concern.

"No, but thank you for asking. Alice gave me a ride today because my truck's gone. We're actually staying at Edward's house until we can figure out our living situation. He's going to be gone for two weeks, and we were going to be watching his place anyway, so it works out pretty well. I'm hopeful that by the time he gets home from Portland, I've found us a place to live. The boys and I are definitely cramping his style," Bella teased.

"I seriously doubt that," Angela told her as she went to the filing cabinet to pull files for the day.

"Well, anyway, I start training in early July. I'll only be in half days, so I'm going to try to get caught up over the next two weeks so that the files are up-to-date when we begin the scanning process. Has he been writing chart notes or dictating?" Bella asked as she followed Angela down the hallway while she checked exam rooms before the office opened.

"A combination of both, and I wish you the best of luck deciphering the hieroglyphics that he calls penmanship. I've left the most urgent files on your desk. Let me know if you find something you can't read. Maybe we can figure it out together," Angela teased with a laugh as Bella went into her office, finding a large stack of files on her desk. Without further distraction, she closed her door and went to work.

She worked for hours, only stopping to use the restroom or grab additional coffee. Alice had offered to pick her up after work, but based on the number of files on her desk and the fact that there would be another stack the same size by the end of the day, she decided to call her parents and see if one of them would go by and relieve Alice until Edward arrived home to be with the boys.

She knew that Jasper was staying with Carlisle and Esme, and Alice had mentioned that things were going well, though her father had mentioned on several occasions that he'd just purchased a new Taser that he was dying to try out. They'd both laughed at his comment.

At 5:30 PM, she went to the restroom and stopped in the break room to grab a bag of chips, remembering that she hadn't eaten all day. As she walked back to her office with a Snapple and a bag of Lays, her cell rang on her desk. She picked it up to see it was a number she didn't recognize, but she answered it in case it was someone with the Fire Marshall's office.

"Bella Uley," she greeted formally.

"Ma, it's me. Edward wants to know what you want for dinner. We're goin' to the store to buy food, and he wants to know what you want tonight. I told him we can help him find stuff that we eat all the time, but he wants to fix you dinner tonight since he's leavin' tomorrow. Jared and I are gettin' a pizza and gonna watch a movie while you guys have your romance dinner," Jacob informed her, causing her to laugh.

"_Romantic dinner_? He doesn't have to cook. I can eat pizza. Get stuff for salad because you guys aren't going to live on junk food, you hear me? What's this number?" she asked as she looked at the phone again.

"We're lab rats for his new client. We get to try out new phones to see if we'd use 'em. Jare has one too. He's got one here for you so we can call each other for free. Cool, huh? Anyway, you won't like the pizza because we got the deep dish. I'll tell him somethin' that you like. What? Oh, what time will you be done?" Jacob asked her.

"_Too many changes, too quickly_," was the only thought that crossed her mind.

It appeared that Edward was spoiling her sons as much as he was spoiling her, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. She believed they did deserve the things that their friends had, but she didn't like the fact that a man she'd only known for approximately two months was the one providing them. Things needed to slow way down for her comfort level.

"Ma? What time?" Jacob asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Uh, I've got about another hour's work. I'll take the bus home," she responded absent-mindedly.

"She's takin' the bus," she heard Jacob relay over the line. She heard fumbling, and then cursing.

"_Shit!_ Bella, you're not taking the bus. We're going to the store right now, and we'll swing by and pick you up. Esme is taking me to the airport tomorrow, so you can have my car, but you're not taking the bus," Edward demanded, setting her off.

"You, young man, will not tell me what I will and will not do to get home from work, do you understand me? If you're going to continue to order me around, the boys and I will stay with my parents. The last son-of-a-bitch who ordered me around was cut loose after three years. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of patience anymore," she snapped at him.

When he didn't respond, she continued, "I'll be home by seven. The boys don't need their own cell phones, as I've told you, so take them back. I've got one that they can carry if they need it, so you don't need to buy us things we don't need. You've already spent more money on us than I make in six months, which I'll have you know I don't have a way to pay you back, so please don't add to my IOU," she snapped and then hung up, feeling that she'd made her point and reclaimed some of her independence.

That feeling lasted for all of fifteen minutes before the guilt set in.

\\\

_**E/N: Oh, snap. She's not happy, and I'd guess that he's not going to go quietly into the night. Thoughts? He's a pushy one, and she's a stubborn one. Clearly, there will be fireworks of some sort!**_

_**Thanks so much for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! I appreciate them so much! I know that you're all pissed at Bella, with good reason, and some of you are in the "he overstepped his the line" camp. You're right on both counts. **_

_**Scorpio11 – Thank you for pointing out the problems. These are human characters and they don't move at vamp speed. I appreciate you keeping me on track. Trust me, folks, this chapter is a lot better because of her.**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No copyright infringement from yours truly.**_

_**So, shall we see what happened after the phone call from the last chapter?**_

_**\\\**_

14.

##

Edward looked at the phone in his hand and then the smirk on Jacob's face. He was sure that he had a look of disbelief on his own face, because he really didn't know what happened.

"Man, she got you good," Jacob commented as he began to laugh. Edward tossed the phone at him and saw him put it on the counter next to the other three that Volt had sent him at his request.

"Is she always like that when someone tries to help her?" he asked as Jared walked into the room having just finished showering.

The boys had been cutting lawns all day with Alice supervising them so that they didn't injure themselves, and when Edward arrived home from work, they'd been playing the new Wii that he'd bought them. When he'd suggested that they shower and go with him to the store, Jacob had rushed off first, leaving Edward to finish the game of Madden 2011 with Jared. Edward had lost miserably.

"Crabby? Uh, kinda. I mean, she tries hard to take care of us, but she gets mad when she can't get us stuff she thinks we'd like," Jacob told him as he perused the refrigerator, making mental notes of things that were needed.

"Jake, you ass. You used up all of the hot water. What'd I miss?" Jared asked as he cruised into the kitchen and sat down. He'd beaten Edward at Madden, and he was a bit smug, but he truly liked the guy for even trying to participate in things that they enjoyed. It was certainly more than their father had ever done, and while he didn't really have it in him to articulate his appreciation, he felt it.

"Ma just raked his ass over the coals," Jacob announced.

"Hey, language!" Edward called as the three stood in the kitchen.

"Really? _Our_ language? Dude, you're as bad as we are," Jake answered with a huge laugh. Edward looked to Jared and saw him laughing as well.

"Fine, we'll all have to work on it, but for now, well, get ready for a war because it's gonna be a fucking floor fight when she gets home. Grab your phones…yes, you're taking the phones…and let's go. You can tell me what to make for dinner. By the time she gets off the damn bus, she'll be in a hell of a mood. I'd suggest headphones," Edward informed, causing the boys to laugh. He was preparing for battle. The beautiful woman with whom he was in love would see that he was serious one way or another before the night was through.

Two-hundred dollars and an hour later, Edward and the boys were carrying the groceries into the kitchen. He'd cruised by Carlisle's office, seeing lights on which meant that Bella was still working, and he was prepared to make spaghetti and meatballs as Jake and Jared had told him was one of her favorites.

He did, however, _cheat_. He bought pre-made meatballs and fresh pasta sauce because he knew time would be a premium. When he'd stopped to pick up the boys' pizza, he'd grabbed an order of garlic cheese bread that they'd told him she liked, and with the bottle of Italian red wine he'd purchased at the grocery store, he believed he was in good shape.

He'd set the table on the deck and added a couple of candles, having deemed that the deck lights were too bright, and he'd turned on the outdoor speakers so as not to interrupt the boys while they played games or watched movies.

Just as he was about to drain the pasta to add to the sauce where the meatballs were simmering, he heard Bella on the front porch, pacing. He walked into the living room and whispered, "Your mom's home."

He saw the two look at him and quickly click off the television. "We're goin' to Jared's room to play chess in case everything works out and we get to go see your Ma and Pop in Chicago. Good luck keepin' your balls," Jacob called as they ran up the stairs.

"Cowards," Edward commented as he turned off all but one light in the living room. He was grateful, however, that the boys were giving them privacy for their discussion. He hoped that neither Bella's father nor Emmett wouldn't show up at his house that night because he was pretty sure it was about to get loud.

##

_The bus_. The cross-town bus was the worst ride in town. If it wasn't seven miles from the office to Edward's house on Bennett Circle, she'd have walked it, but with staying late at the office and the argument that she'd had with Edward on the phone, she couldn't waste the time. Oh, she was kicking herself for not allowing him to pick her up from work, but her damned pride had gotten in the way, just as it had many times.

She saw her pride as her biggest flaw, and she'd let it get the best of her yet again. She had a wonderful man who'd put a ladder to the stars if she'd only ask…or at least a ladder to a tree to rescue a squealing cat if necessary…and she'd shoved him away with both hands. That wasn't at all what she had set out to do, but her damned pride had gotten in the way again.

As she climbed the front stairs of his home to the porch, she was nervous about with what she'd be met, but she couldn't very well sleep on the porch. She paced for a bit, and then she finally shoved her key in the lock and opened the door, smelling something delicious in the air which reminded her that she'd only had potato chips all day.

"I'm ho…here," she called as she slipped off her new flats by the front door, grateful that Carmen Denali had taken into consideration that she wasn't really one for heels.

"Kitchen," she heard Edward call. She dropped her purse on the bench by the door and walked to the doorway of the kitchen where she saw him dumping what appeared to be pasta into a large pot. When he didn't look her way after she cleared her throat, she was immediately worried.

"Is…where are the boys?" she asked. She was going to ask if she could help with anything, but thought better of it, based on his frosty demeanor.

Without turning to look at her, he answered, "They're upstairs with a new chess game that we picked up at the store. They said that if we're still together and they get to go to Chicago to visit my parents, they'd like to know how to play. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes if you'd like to change. We're eating on the deck." He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a salad, tossing it and then breezing passed her without looking at her.

"_O-kay,_" she called as she turned to climb the stairs just as he closed the French door, having gone outside.

She hurried up the stairs and stopped at the door to the room in which Jared was sleeping, seeing the door cracked. As she was about to knock, she heard them talking. "Do you think that he'll kick us out?" she heard Jacob ask.

"Dude, he won't kick us out. She'll prolly get pissed and make us leave. I guess we'll be sleeping on that shitty pullout in Pop's office at the house," Jared responded.

"Shit. I guess he won't be our friend anymore either," Jacob offered.

In that moment, she knew it wasn't just _her_ heart at stake. Her boys had bonded with Edward and his family, and if she acted on instinct, they'd lose the people who they'd come to think of as another family. She didn't know how she could do it to them.

Ida and Harold Uley only lived about fifteen miles from Forks, and they didn't even have the care or concern for their grandsons to call them, much less invite them to visit even for an overnight if their father wasn't with them.

The Masens and the Cullens, however, had shown them nothing but kindness, Edward being the spearhead of the campaign to show her and her boys that there were good people in the world. How could she turn her back on that?

She went to Edward's room without interrupting her sons because at that point, she didn't have any answers for them. She had no idea if Edward would forgive her for her ungrateful behavior, and she didn't know if he'd ask her to leave while he was gone. It was the great unknown, and she wasn't looking forward to finding the answers that lay waiting for her at the bottom of stairs.

She quickly changed into a pair of khaki shorts and a tank top that had been purchased on Monday and made her way downstairs, seeing the glow of candles from the deck. She tossed down a pair of flip-flops, slipping them on and making her way out to where he was standing at the railing of the deck with a glass of wine in his hand.

He turned to look at her and she swallowed hard, seeing the look on his face that she'd never seen before. He appeared to be closed off, and she didn't like it but she knew it was her fault, so she was prepared to take his rancor. She'd caused the problem with her lashing out at him regarding the kindnesses he'd shown her and her sons, and if he wanted to yell, she was prepared to take it…to a point.

"_So_?" she asked as she sat at the table and poured herself a glass of wine, waiting.

"So…um, it appears that we've reached a point in our relationship where you'd rather be somewhere else or with someone else who's not a _'young man'_. I've only tried to shoulder some of the burden, but apparently, I've overstepped some boundaries that you have, so I'll back off. I'll be leaving in the morning, and if you haven't found another place to live while I'm gone, then I'll stay at Carlisle and Esme's house until you do. I'm not pushing you and the boys out; I'm just giving you the space you seem to prefer.

"I have no idea what you've gone through in your life, and I personally hope I never do because if I ever find myself as closed off and unaccepting of love and kindness, I think I'd be better off living in a cave. Dinner's in the kitchen. I'm leaving," he announced as he turned toward the house.

His words stung, but she wasn't going to let him leave like that without having her say. "You think I don't know what a bitch I can be? Oh, trust me, I do, but I've had to become that way because I'm responsible for two eleven-year-old boys who have no one else but me, and do you think I'm happy that I can't put a roof over their heads right now and have to rely on the kindness of strangers?" she snapped.

He wheeled on her with fire in his eyes. "_Really?_ You just see us as _strangers_? I thought we were more than that, but I see that maybe I was just fooling myself. I love you and your sons, but you almost seem incapable of accepting it. _Oh_, I don't blame you because I can see that there haven't been a lot of people in your life who've shown it to you, but I…well, I actually feel sorry for you.

"I hope and pray to God that if I ever need someone and there's somebody there offering me love and support, I'll be accepting of it. You don't seem to be able to, but I don't blame you for it. Take care of yourself," he called as he walked away and into the house leaving her sitting in candlelight and tears.

She took a deep breath and thought long and hard about what he'd said, and she knew he was spot on in his assessment of her character. She'd been so independent that she didn't know how to allow herself to rely on someone else's help, and as she thought about it, suddenly, there were a lot of people in her life who were more than willing to help her. She was overwhelmed by the number of people who'd shown her compassion and support, and she wasn't going to let the most important one get away so easily.

She quickly ran up the stairs and into his bedroom, seeing him with a suitcase on the bed half-full of clothes. "You're right," she answered, feeling the bite of the admission. She'd never been willing to accept the fact that she let her pride get in the way a lot of the time, but in that moment, she couldn't help but admit that he was right.

Her parents had raised her to be self-reliant and not look to someone else to solve the problems in her life for her. Since the boys had been born, her parents had offered to help, but she always saw it as a test of some kind to see if she'd show weakness.

In her desire to prove her independence to her parents, and then to Sam, she'd become very used to turning down many offers of help with one situation or another. She was trying to change, which was why she'd let Alice and Edward do the things they'd done to date, but she felt consumed by guilt when they did anything for her.

She quickly thought back to the night that she'd fallen from the tree when Edward had called Esme and Alice over, and the three had stayed to help her when her own parents had left her to fend for herself, which seemed to be their way.

In that moment of clarity, she realized that maybe her parents' way wasn't exactly the _right_ way. Maybe it wasn't showing weakness to accept love and support from those around you, as long as you were prepared to offer it in return.

When Edward walked out of the closet with a garment bag and an armful of shirts in his hands, she saw the hurt on his face, and she couldn't stop the tears. "_You're right_!" she shouted, taking a deep breath to continue her confession. "I'm used to carrying the burden alone, and I don't know how to share it. I've had to take care of those boys by myself since they were born, if I'm being honest, because Sam was, well, _Sam_. I don't know how to let someone help me because I've always thought it was my responsibility," she continued as the tears tumbled down her face.

She watched him drop his things on the floor and reach his hand out to her like an olive branch. She walked toward him with her own hand extended, and when he pulled her into a hug and wrapped his arms around her, she knew that nothing in her life would ever be the same.

"I'm so sorry…" she sobbed as she remembered her harsh words on the phone earlier in the evening. He didn't deserve them, and she felt guilt consume her.

"Bella, honey, don't be sorry. Just don't pull away from me again like that. I felt like someone was ripping my heart out of my chest. You're not alone in this any longer. You've got me and a lot of other people who care about you. Please, don't shut us out," she heard him whisper as he kissed along her shoulder and then her neck up to her jaw.

He pulled away and smoothed her hair back, looking into her eyes with love which melted her heart, yet again. "I want to be there for you and the twins. You three are my life now, and I can't be without you. Fuck, I'll be a miserable human being if you leave me. Please, don't shut _me_ out," he begged with tears in his eyes. She couldn't stem her own, so she merely nodded her head in agreement and burrowed into his body, pulling him closer to her and absorbing the love that he offered.

Never before had anyone offered her what Edward Masen was offering in that moment…unconditional love and support and a place in his heart. She knew in _her_ heart that if she turned it away, she was a fucking fool.

##

When the alarm sounded at 6:30 AM, Edward wasn't happy to hear it. It had been a long night, and he was exhausted. He wasn't looking forward to the two-week absence, given the headway that the couple had made the night before.

_After the argument on the deck, he'd stormed upstairs to pack. He was shocked to see Jared and Jacob standing in the hallway, seemingly waiting for him. "Hey, don't let her get away with that. We heard everything, and she's always been like that. Grandma and Pop have tried to help, even slipping us money, but she won't have it. Don't leave us," Jared pleaded, which broke his heart._

"_Look, guys, if your mom and I don't work out, I still wanna be in your lives. I really do care about you, and I'll be right here for you if you ever need anything. I love her, but if she doesn't want me, there's not a lot I can do," Edward told them as he walked into the room in which Jared was sleeping._

"_She's just afraid that you're gonna be like our dad. He doesn't give a shit about any of us, and I heard Grandma 'Nee tell Pop that Ma thinks every guy's like him. Grandma said you're not like that, and Pop said that he hoped that Ma saw it before it was too late," Jacob had informed._

"_We can talk to her," Jared, ever the peacemaker, had offered._

_Edward shook his head. "I appreciate it, but your mom's gotta get there on her own. Don't worry, okay?" he'd assured them, not feeling assured himself._

"Can I make you breakfast? I can take you to the airport, Edward. Esme doesn't need to take you," Bella told him as she rolled into him. The feel of her naked body next to him made him consider quitting his job and staying in bed with her.

"It's okay, sweetheart. She's up this early all the time and you've got to get ready for work. I'm going to shower," he told her as he dragged himself from the bed, not at all ready to face the day.

As he climbed into the warm shower, he remembered what had happened after the blow-up, and he smiled as he soaped himself down.

_After he'd assured her that she wasn't alone, she'd led him downstairs to eat the dinner that he'd prepared for her. They'd eaten, cleaned up the mess, and finished off the bottle of wine, both of them smiling at the new place in which they'd found themselves. _

_In his mind she seemed more accepting of the fact that he loved her and would do anything for her, and that made him very happy._

_When they climbed the stairs to the bedroom, arm in arm, he was happy to hear her click the lock once she'd closed the door. She'd helped him pack, and once the chore was finished, they'd slowly stripped each other, not sparing the kisses. When the two climbed into the bed naked, they made love for hours. It seemed to him that he'd just climaxed inside her when she was coming after him again, and it was everything he'd hoped make-up sex would ever be. The last time he saw the clock, it was after 3:00 AM._

Just as he was about to wash his hair, he felt cool air and turned to see Bella climbing in with him. She looked as sleepy as he felt, so he pulled her under the warm spray and kissed her. His tongue couldn't help but tangle with hers because he knew it would be a long, lonely trip, and he wanted to take every advantage of feeling her next to him and her hot kisses that he'd grown to crave in the time he'd known her.

"Well, to what do I owe this guest appearance in my morning shower?" he teased playfully.

"I'm taking advantage of what I have before it's gone for two weeks," she commented as she curled into him under the spray, her arms wrapped around him tightly.

He laughed quietly so as not to wake the boys. "This isn't the most productive way to take a shower, Mrs. Uley," he quipped as he poured shampoo into his hands behind her back and began to gently message her scalp, enjoying her moan.

"Are you trying to wake me up or put me back to sleep," she asked as she stepped back a foot and turned around to give him better access to her hair.

After he'd finished shampooing her hair and then his, they stepped under the spray and rinsed together, arms wrapped around each other and eyes closed. He was grateful that she'd joined him, and he hoped she wasn't offended by his growing need for her, yet again. He couldn't help himself. It was always going to be that way, especially when she was wet and naked, pressed against him in the shower.

Once they were clean and fresh, they climbed out of the shower and wrapped towels around themselves, both finally awake. They brushed their teeth in silence with small smirks and giggles, and when they'd finished, Edward quickly shaved as Bella went to the bedroom to dress for the day.

It was the scene he hoped for that would play out many mornings in their future. He truly had no idea how things would be when he returned from Portland, but he prayed that every day would be started in a similar fashion.

It was what he was taking with him in his heart, and he knew that every morning when he climbed out of the shower in his lonely hotel room and brushed his teeth, he'd remember those moments until he could experience them again. It was a taste of heaven that he wanted forever.

##

"I'll call you tonight. Guys, take care of my girl, okay," Edward called to the boys at the table as Bella walked him to the front door. The couple had been surprised when the boys were settled at the breakfast table with pop tarts for everyone. Their excuse of wanting to say good-bye wasn't lost on Bella. She knew that they didn't know if it was going to be for a short time or for the last time.

"We will," they called as she walked him outside onto the porch to see Esme waving from her BMW as the rain poured down.

"Where's your umbrella, sweetheart?" Bella asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist after he dropped his bags on the porch.

"There's one in the garage hanging next to the ice scraper. Take it with you. Please be careful, love," he told her as he twined his fingers into her still damp hair before he kissed her again.

When they pulled away from each other and she saw his smile, she laughed. "It's as wet in Portland as it is here. Are you sure you don't need it?" she teased.

"A little water won't hurt me, Mrs. Uley. I think you found _that_ out in the shower this morning. I love you, so much, Bella. I can't wait to come home to you," he told her as he kissed her again.

After he broke away from her, she watched him run to Esme's car and toss his bags in the back seat, hurrying into the passenger seat. The last thing she saw was him kiss his fingers and wave them at her, which she returned without a second thought.

When she went back inside, she knew she needed to have a discussion with her sons, and even though the hour was early, she thought they were awake enough to answer her honestly, so she dove in head first.

"Here's the deal. Edward wants us to stay. What do you think about that?" she asked as she sipped her coffee and dug into her pop tart waiting for their answer.

Jared was the first to speak, which surprised her because he was always the more reserved of the two. "Stay, like while he's in Portland, or stay, like for a long time?" he asked. It was a fair question.

She swallowed her food and wiped her mouth with the napkin she'd pulled from the container on the table. "For a long time. We talked a lot last night, and he doesn't want us to move out. I told him we'd talk about it and have an answer for him when he gets home," she answered honestly.

She drifted off into dreamland and remembered the conversation.

"_Babe, I want to come home to you and the boys. I want you here. I don't want you to find another place to live, and God knows that I understand that this is tricky because they're hitting puberty and we're not married, but I want you guys here. You have no idea how happy I am to see my home full," he told her as he held her after they'd made love for the second time._

"_I want that too, but we've only known each other for…" she'd begun._

_He cut her off. "No answers right now. Talk to them. Hell, have them call me if they want to talk about shit. Bella, you don't understand how much I love you. I want you here, in a home that we make together. You need to think about this, I know, because that's how you operate, but I want you and the boys here. Please consider it," he'd asked. She'd merely nodded before they'd dozed. It had been wonderful._

_Snap…snap…_ "Ma, wake up. We're goin' back to bed, but you're goin' to work. We're fine with it. We like him a lot, and if it's what you want, then we're down," Jacob told her with a laugh in his voice.

She smiled, and they agreed that they'd give it a shot. They'd make a family home with Edward Masen. She believed that the boys were happy about it, but she worried that it was because of the _Wii_ and the new bedrooms and the cable. She knew that they liked him, but she worried that it would be too much for Edward once the everyday events that came with raising two eleven-year-old boys became familiar to him.

She worried about it until Friday evening when they were sitting by Esme's pool. They'd been invited over, and since they had nothing else to do, they'd gone over to visit. Alice, Jasper, and the boys were in the pool playing basketball, and they were waiting for Carlisle to come home because he'd been called into the hospital for an emergency.

He'd phoned to say he was on his way, so Esme asked if it was okay to wait dinner. Bella agreed because she was enjoying the summer evening and the warm air. The sounds of her sons laughing with Alice and Jasper didn't hurt either.

"So, how've things been at the house?" Esme asked. Bella laughed at her subtlety…she was about as subtle as a Sherman tank.

"Lonely. He has a big personality, and when he's not there, it's not the same. We miss him, but he's going to come home to a lush garden. The boys and I went to _Reed's_ the other day and bought mums to plant in the flower bed near the big oak. Jake says that we have to pinch the tops off until the end of July so that they bloom at the right time. Have you spoken with him since he's been gone?" she asked as she sipped her beer.

"I have, actually. He's very…" Esme began as they both heard laughter come from the pool and a huge splash. When Bella turned to look at what had happened she was shocked to see Edward spring up from the water and shake the hair from his eyes.

"Well, woman, what do you have to say? I can't be away from you for more than three days, and you're just gonna sit there," he teased as he grabbed Jacob around the neck and dunked him before Jacob grabbed him.

She laughed and walked over to the edge of the pool, scooting off her sandals and then jumping in the pool in her clothes. She felt hands around her waist pulling her to the surface, confirming to her that she'd always have someone helping her keep her head above water. Edward was home, and he'd always keep her above water.

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_**E/N: So, how'd I do? Can't wait to hear from you. Next chapter, oh, we embark on a really fun part of the story. Thanks for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews and support. You all seemed to agree that the blow up between Edward and Bella was necessary, given everything that has happened between them. Now, we get to some of my favorite parts of the story.**_

_**As I told my beta, Scorpio11 (who, trust me, made this chapter a whole lot better and far less confusing), keep in mind that Edward's 25 and has never really been around kids. His advice might be a bit unconventional, but he remembers how it was to be Jake and Jared's age.**_

_**SMeyer owns Twilight characters. No copyright infringement intended.**_

_**\\\**_

15.

##

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm fried. I'd suggest that we cut out early and reconvene on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM," Edward suggested. It wasn't unselfishly. They'd gotten a lot of work done over the three days he'd been in Portland, but he needed to see his family, and he wasn't going to make it the rest of the next week without it.

Commercials had been cast. Print ads had been approved. A schedule had been established, and he was quite tired of talking about the campaign. It was a multi-million dollar media blitz that would begin at the end of August, but his people were tired. He needed to be home so he'd definitely been more than happy to give his crew the weekend off.

They'd put in a lot of hours, and his head ached due to all of the meetings he'd attended, so he couldn't imagine that they'd be able to pull any new ideas together without a breather. That was what the weekend was about. Well, that and the fact that the night before, Bella had called him and told him that she thought the boys were afraid in the house because they were sleeping with their doors locked.

She'd also mentioned that she was concerned that maybe Jared had reverted to wetting the bed because when she'd gotten up that morning, he was shoving his sheets into the washing machine and he refused to tell her why. Edward knew that not only did he need to have a particular talk with the boys…he needed to talk to their mother and give her a clue about what was really going on before she went out and bought a rubber pad for Jared's bed.

After everyone in the room agreed and began gathering their things to leave, he called his sister to see if she could pick him up. He was quite happy to hear that she'd invited Bella and the boys over for dinner, and Esme told him that someone would pick him up at the airport in Port Angeles.

When he walked through security in the small airport, he saw his brother-in-law with a huge smile on his face. He walked over to him, and the two men laughed. "Two-and-a-half days was all you could make it?" Carlisle asked as they walked to the small carousel to where the luggage would tumble.

"I'm surprised I made it _that_ long," Edward told him as he waited for the duffel bag that he'd had to check at the gate because the flight was full. He'd packed light but it didn't matter, and he wasn't happy about it at all.

"They're all at the house for dinner. Es is holding it for us. I spoke to Carmen yesterday, and she told me about the shopping expedition. That was very nice of you. I was going to offer Bella an advance on her salary that she could pay back over a long time to be able to get things and look for a place to live, but I see that my overzealous brother-in-law has taken care of everything before I could even open my checkbook," Carlisle teased as Edward grabbed his bag as it tumbled down the chute.

"Oh, that was something else, let me tell you. That woman puts up the Berlin Wall when she gets pissed, and we had a hell of a fight, but we reached an agreement…well, I think we did. She's supposed to give me an answer after I get back from this trip," Edward responded, remembering the phenomenal night of make-up sex they'd had after the fight.

Carlisle's laughter brought him out of his musings. "Based on that smile on your face, I'd say the peace talks were followed up by a celebration," he teased. Both men laughed as they headed out to the lot where Carlisle's car was parked.

Once they were on the road, Edward remembered that Jasper was staying with them, and he most certainly wanted to get Carlisle's thoughts on the matter. "So, has Jasper been behaving himself?" he asked with a chuckle in his voice.

"He's been behaving like a perfect gentleman, but I suppose the new Taser I bought and the printout of Statutory Rape laws in Washington State that I _may_ have left on his bed have helped a bit. Alice is so infatuated with him, it's ridiculous. I'm worried about what's going to happen after her birthday. I get the impression that he's a bit of a free spirit, and if he takes off soon, I don't know how we'll keep her from following him. I'm afraid she's going to get hurt," Carlisle confided.

Edward thought about the comment, and he could see that Carlisle had sized up Jasper pretty well. Jasper was, indeed, a free spirit and would go any way the wind blew. He didn't want Alice to be hurt any more than her father, so he decided he'd talk to Jasper about it soon. "I'll talk to him about it. I don't want Alice to be hurt either, and I'll make sure that Jasper knows my feelings on the matter. On another note, I could use a bit of advice on something," Edward began. He and Carlisle had always had an easy rapport and were close, so he knew he could ask the man anything.

"Okay, fire away," Carlisle told him.

"Well, Bella told me that she thinks that the boys are afraid at my place because they've started sleeping with their bedroom doors locked," Edward began, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice.

He saw Carlisle look his way with concern and respond, "Do you think they are? I mean you're only a block from where they lived, and they know everyone…"

Edward held up his hand to stop Carlisle. "She also found Jared washing his sheets the other morning. She's afraid he's started wetting the bed," Edward chuckled. Even funnier than the story was Carlisle's reaction. He did a double take and then began laughing hysterically, which set Edward off. After several minutes of uncontrollable laughter, the two men tried to settle down.

"You know, I wondered about something like this. Alice told us a story about one day while she was watching them cut the McCarty's grass. She was looking at a French fashion magazine, and she put it down to go to your house to get them something to drink. She said she looked out the window in your kitchen and didn't see them in the yard. She was worried that one of them got hurt, so she rushed out on the porch and found them perusing the magazine. All work had stopped," Carlisle related, bringing another round of laughter from the two of them.

Once they composed themselves again, Carlisle asked, "Has their father talked to them about sex?"

Edward tried to curb his anger. Every time he thought about Sam Uley and his treatment of Bella and her boys, his blood boiled. "Don't get me started on that ignorant fuck. I FedEx'd him a phone with a hundred free minutes and the boys' numbers programmed in, and he hasn't called them. He's an asshole, Carlisle. His version of a sex talk was that they should keep it in their pants until they could afford it. I don't think that was very enlightening," Edward fumed.

He saw Carlisle contemplate what he'd said and stop the car at the end of his driveway. "That's pretty sad, actually. Are you prepared to be this involved in their lives, Edward? I mean, no offense, but you and Bella haven't been together very long, and it seems like Jake and Jared are pretty attached to you already," he surmised.

"Yeah, they are, but no more than I am to them. I'll tell you what I told them. Even if Bella and I don't work out which I'm praying isn't the case, I want to be in their lives. They're good kids, and they crave male attention. I can honestly tell you that I've never met two boys…hell, young men…like them in my life, and I'm very honored that they look up to me. I want to be the example that they're _not_ getting from their dad, even if Bella and I don't work out," he told his brother-in-law confidently. It was an easy pronouncement to make because he felt it down to the bottom of his soul.

Carlisle put a reassuring hand on his should and squeezed. "Well, then you just tell them that everything happening to them right now is perfectly normal, and emphasize respect for women and all that crap," Carlisle told him.

Edward laughed. "Thanks for the inspiration_, Mahatma_." Both men laughed and then proceeded up the driveway so that Edward could get to Bella.

He quickly changed into swim trunks and made his way to the pool, seeing his sister and Bella talking at a table while the boys played basketball in the pool with Jasper and Alice. He dove into the pool and swam the length of it undetected, and when he came up out of the water, he shook the hair out of his eyes and saw the surprise in Bella's.

"Well, woman, what do you have to say? I can't be away from you for more than three days, and you're just gonna sit there," he teased as he grabbed Jacob around the neck and dunked him before Jacob could grab him to do the same thing.

He was surprised when she laughed and walked over to the edge of the pool, scooting off her sandals and then jumping in the pool in her clothes. He grabbed her around her waist, pulled her to the surface with him, and then he kissed her soundly, hearing two loud groans and a lot of laughter behind him.

"Hmm…I think I'm going to put in a pool. I can see midnight skinny dipping in our future," he whispered to her, seeing the beautiful blush creep up her neck and settle in her cheeks. He felt like things were right again with her in his arms, and he knew it was a feeling he wanted for the rest of his life.

##

After dinner, Edward followed Jasper outside to pick up the bottles and towels around the pool while Jacob and Jared sat with Carlisle who was trying to teach them more about chess. Alice, Bella, and Esme were cleaning up the dinner dishes, so he saw it as the perfect time to talk to Jasper about Alice.

He walked over to the fridge in the outdoor kitchen and grabbed two more beers while Jasper hung wet towels on the fence, and he walked over to the table farthest from the house. "Come sit, man," Edward called as he opened the two Heinekens and set one down in front of the empty chair across from him.

Jasper settled at the table with a look of bewilderment on his face based on the expression on his friend's. "So, what's up? You goin' back on Sunday, or are you gonna quit your job and follow Bella around all the time," he teased.

Edward laughed and took a sip of his beer. "If I thought it would pay well, hell yeah. No, I'm going back Sunday morning. We've got meetings starting at 2:00 PM, so I wanna be settled before that. So, how come you're hangin' around? No work?" Jasper had shown up the day of Alice's graduation and hadn't even hinted that he was thinking about leaving town anytime soon. Edward's goal was to find out his intentions, and remind him of the difference in his and Alice's age.

Jasper immediately knew what was on his friend's mind, and he really didn't know how to explain it. "No, I actually need to be in Sedona next week for a show, but I find that I can't get the gumption to pack up and head out. I've been gettin' to know your niece, and I really like her. Makes it a little tough to wanna leave her, somethin' I'm sure you know a lot about," he reasoned.

"Yeah, I can relate to that, but Jazz, man, you're not the hanging-around type. You're the love-em-and-leave-em-smiling guy. Alice is a little too young to be able to handle that kind of treatment, don't you think? She's never really dated anyone, and man, if you start something with her and just take off, do you know how much you'll hurt her? Then, I'll have to come find you to beat your ass which takes me away from my family, so how about we just skip all that shit, and you give me a ride to the airport on Sunday. You've got a rental to turn in before you take off," Edward suggested.

"We've been friends for a long time, Ed, so I'll let that one slide. From what I remember about my travels with you, you're not the best person to be dolin' out dating advice. How do you know that I don't have feelings for Alice like you do for Bella?" Jasper asked.

Edward cocked an eyebrow at him, which caused Jasper to laugh. "Okay, okay, maybe not yet, but the young lady and I are just gettin' to know each other. I have no plans to treat her like just another girl, so just relax," he replied.

"Look, Alice is very innocent and gullible. She's just graduated from high school, for Christ's sake. She's going to college in a couple of months, and you and I both know that once you get a taste, you'll get bored and move on. She deserves to meet a nice guy her own age and experience life, just like we have. If she runs away to chase your ass down, I can't say that my brother-in-law won't buy a gun and come after you. That's his only daughter, and he's very protective of her.

"I think it would be best for you to take off and let Alice get on with her life. If you still feel the same way about her in a few years, then by all means, come back and see if there's something there. You're the older guy who shows an interest in her, Jasper. Think about your first crush," Edward told him as he finished his beer and got up from the table, tossing the empty bottle into the trash on his way toward the house.

In his mind, he'd done all he could. The rest was up to Jasper. He hoped he'd get a call on Sunday offering a ride, because he was certain that any feelings Alice had for Jasper would be gone by the time she left for UDub in August. Well, he hoped so anyway.

##

"Babe, we're gonna drop you off at home, and then run to the Redbox and get a video. Anything else you want me to pick up while we're gone?" Edward asked her as they pulled into the driveway. She didn't know why they hadn't stopped on the way back from Carlisle and Esme's, but she was too happy that he was home, so she decided not to ask.

"Um, maybe some ice cream," she suggested off the top of her head, remembering that she'd finished up the last of the rocky road the night before while she was talking to him on the phone. It was the only flavor that she and the boys had in common, and she knew that they'd probably be pissed if they knew she'd finished it.

"Will do," Edward called as he kissed her chastely, effectively dismissing her.

She got out of the car and went into the house, carrying the bag of wet clothes from the swimming party. She was grateful that Esme had loaned her a dress to wear home, and she was anxious to get the chlorine off of her before he returned. She'd missed him very much.

As she stood in the shower letting the warm water rinse the conditioner from her hair, she thought about the discussion they'd had in the pool after the excitement died down regarding the fact that he'd come home unexpectedly.

"_I don't have to stay here tonight, do I?" Edward asked as he pulled her down to the deep end of the pool away from the game that the others were playing._

"_Why would you stay here? What, you don't want to go home with us?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He'd anchored himself in the corner by the diving board with his arms resting on the gutter, holding both of them up in the seven-feet of water._

"_Is it _our _home? Have you decided if you want to stay?" he'd asked with a slight smile on his face._

"_We talked about it, and we'd like to see if we can make it work. It won't be without adjustments by all of us, but we'd like to give it a try. The boys miss you as much as I do, you know. Everything's been 'what do you think Edward would do?' since you left. Obviously, you saw how happy they were to see you. Maybe they won't be afraid of staying at the house if you're there. I guess it'll just take them some time to feel safe there," she'd offered, seeing him laugh a little._

"_What? What's so funny?" she asked._

"_I'm not laughing at you, I'm just very happy, and I think that the boys will be fine by the time I leave on Sunday. I'm willing to put in all the work it takes to make a life with you three, Bella. I truly love you with all my heart," he told her as he leaned forward and kissed her, softly at first, then with more passion. His hands found her waist as she felt his feet moving to keep the two of them afloat. She grabbed the side of the pool behind him as he held onto her, and she swept her tongue across his, begging for entrance. He didn't disappoint her._

_Several minutes of kissing had left the two of them wanting, and when Esme called for dinner, they were both eager to get on with the night to get back home so that they could be alone, preferably naked._

The sound of the boys on the stairs pulled her from the memory, and she quickly finished her shower so she could dress and go see what movie they'd rented. She hoped it was one that the boys were interested in but not she or Edward because it would be less awkward to say that they were going to his room to watch something else if it was an action movie that the boys knew she didn't like to watch.

She pulled on a gray Dartmouth t-shirt that belonged to Edward and a pair of sleep shorts, and skipped downstairs to see what was going on. Both boys' doors were closed, and when she discreetly tried the knobs, they were both locked which troubled her very much. She assumed that with Edward home, they'd feel safer, but it didn't appear to be the case.

When she got to the kitchen, she found Edward scooping up a big bowl of ice cream and laughing. "Hey, what movie did you get?" she asked. She saw him lick his knuckle where he'd gotten a bit of ice cream before he tossed the spoon in the bowl and sealed up the carton, placing it in the freezer. The lick to the knuckle had her thinking about licking ice cream from some places that would be quite pleasurable. His voice filtered into her head, pulling her from her fantasy.

"We didn't find anything they liked, so they each bought a, um, magazine, and they're gonna read for a while. I thought we'd sit out on the deck and have some ice cream," he suggested with a wink. Oh, she was fine with that idea.

"Lead the way," she told him as he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the French doors that led to the deck. Once the two were settled, Bella on his lap, he began feeding her ice cream…between kisses. Tasting the chocolate and marshmallow on his tongue, she decided that it had quickly become her new favorite taste.

"So, they couldn't find anything to watch?" she asked between bites and kisses.

"Um, no. Probably too late on a Friday to find anything good. If they want, they can look for something On Demand. You, uh, you love me, right?" he asked her suddenly looking nervous.

"Of course I…wait, what did you _do_?" she asked. She could only imagine what he'd done to spoil her boys, and she decided that they needed to have a serious discussion about that because if they were going to be living together, she had no intentions of them becoming spoiled brats at his hand.

"Remember our discussion about the locked doors and the sheets? Yeah, I talked to them. Honey, they're not scared here. Matter of fact, they really like it here because they _have_ locks on their doors. Apparently, your house didn't have them?" he asked.

She thought for a moment, and replied, "I didn't really think about it, but why would they need them? I always knocked before I went into a room."

"Yeah, but you didn't knock and _wait_, did you?" he asked. Obviously, the boys had told him of her habit of knocking and going into their rooms without waiting for an answer. Usually, they were napping or listening to music, so she couldn't depend that they'd hear her.

They'd shared a room at the apartment, so they rarely closed the door anyway, but when they'd moved into the house on Abingdon Place, she'd noticed that they closed their doors more often. Had they not been as close as they were, she'd have been worried that they were shutting each other out, but she could see that wasn't the case because they were closer than ever.

"Well, no, but a lot of times they were sleeping or listening to their radios with the headphones, so I could have been standing there forever," she responded defensively.

She saw him nod, though she doubted it was in agreement, and she waited to find out what he had to say. "This is absolutely not an indictment of you as a mother, okay? It's just that you're a woman, and you might not exactly understand how it is to be a young guy. Things happen that we don't always understand, things we don't always have control over, and if we don't have someone to talk to about them, we think that something's wrong with us. I remember feeling that way when I was around twelve, and after talking to Jake and Jared, I found out that they are sort of feeling that way too," he told her, obviously hedging around the subject matter.

"What's going on that they can't talk to me?" she asked harshly. She believed that she had a great relationship with her sons, and if they had something they couldn't talk to her about, she wanted to know it so that she could march upstairs and handle it. Sometimes being both, mother _and_ father wasn't easy.

"Are they being bullied?" she asked, racking her brain for what could be wrong.

She didn't appreciate his laughter. "Honey, have you _seen_ them? I know that Jared isn't as big as Jake, but hell, a high school football player would have to think twice before trying to bully either one of them. No, they're not being bullied, and they're not bullying anyone either. The problem is more, um, personal," he told her. She could tell he was trying to figure out how to break the news to her, and it was making her very nervous.

"Just tell me. Is there something wrong with them that they're not telling me about because they're worried about money or something?" she asked. It would be just like them to withhold illness or injury out of fear of having to spend money to go to the doctor.

"No, it's not anything like that. They're both experiencing certain physical urges that they don't exactly understand or know what to do about," he told her.

"Physical urges?" she asked, completely bewildered.

"Bella, honey, they're both getting involuntary erections and wet dreams. Jared washing his sheets the other morning? That's because he didn't want you to find them," he told her. The news shocked her because they were still her babies. If what he was telling her was true, they weren't exactly babies any longer.

##

After Bella got out of the car and went into the house after leaving the pool party, Edward backed out of the driveway and pulled out onto Bennett Circle. He cleared his throat to begin the conversation when Jake leaned forward over the seat and tapped him on the shoulder. "We just bought a bunch of stuff at the store on Monday. We don't need to rent a movie. Besides, there prolly isn't anything worth watchin' because it's late on Friday evening."

"Yeah, I know. That's not exactly what this is about," Edward commented as he drove up the road to a quick mart that he _may_ or _may not_ have stopped at before.

"Are you guys afraid living at the house? Your mom's worried about you locking your bedroom doors at night," Edward asked as he turned to look at the two of them still sitting in the backseat of the car.

He saw them blush just like their mother, and Jake's response confirmed what he'd already suspected. "Hell, no. We love it at your place. We're happy to _have_ locks on our doors. We've never had 'em before, and well, Ma isn't one to knock and wait before she barges in."

"I'll be right back, and then we'll stop at the store and pick up the ice cream," he told them as he climbed out of the car and jogged inside. He knew which aisles to hit, and he wasted no time.

The first items were easy enough because he'd purchased enough of it for himself over the past year, which reminded him that he was going to be in a hotel by himself for a week and a half, so instead of buying two bottles, he bought three.

The next items he needed were a little trickier, so he went with the basics. He knew that just the visual would be enough, so two copies of the same magazine, both wrapped in black plastic, were added to the items he needed. Just to keep from looking like a total pervert with redundant taste, he grabbed a box of powdered-sugar donuts and a six pack of beer. He knew he'd get strange looks from the clerk because his purchases gave the impression of a very strange way to spend a Friday night, but he didn't care.

He saw the young kid behind the counter, likely no more than seventeen or eighteen, eyeing him carefully, and he felt the need to explain somewhat so that the kid didn't call the police and report him as suspicious. He was second-guessing himself for bringing the boys along when the kid looked at him and then at the Mercedes, and he had a look of alarm on his face.

"It's not like that. Those are my…stepsons, and well, they've just hit puberty. My wife doesn't know how to talk to them about things, so I'm just trying to help them out," he offered as the guy studied his features, likely for the sketch that would comprise his wanted poster.

"Uh, _sure_," the kid responded in disbelief as he rang the purchases. When he got to the beer, he looked at Edward again. "Got some ID?" he asked with a smug look on his face.

Edward pulled out his wallet and handed the kid his driver's license, seeing him typing the information into the register. "Look, I'm not a deviant, okay? They've just started noticing girls, and they have locks on their bedroom doors now, so I'm just trying to help them out. The beer is for me and my wife," he offered, feeling so humiliated that he wanted to sink through the floor. He also knew that his babbling wasn't helping his case at all.

"Yeah, that's what they _all_ say," the kid responded as he pulled out a bag into which he was prepared to load the purchases.

"Here, I'll prove it," Edward said. He walked to the door where the cashier could see him, and he hit the key fob to flash the lights on the car. When the boys looked up, he motioned them inside. They both hurried out of the car and walked into the store.

"What's up?" Jared asked as he walked over to where Edward was standing next to the counter.

"I don't want to have this discussion here, but I'm afraid if we don't do it in front of this guy, your granddad or Emmett McCarty is gonna show up at our house and arrest me as a sex offender. Look, I know what's going on with locking the bedroom doors and washing your sheets before your mom can, okay? It's natural. Every guy goes through it at a certain age. Even this guy, uh, Kenny, went through it, well, probably," he determined, seeing the looks on the boys'…all three of them…faces.

"So, I thought that the best thing to do was tell you that every guy goes through it and get you some help before you end up with rub burns in some very bad spots. This is lube. It helps when you, _you know_. This, well, this is _Playboy_, because sometimes a guy needs a little visual to help him out. Regarding the sheets, well, I figured out that if I took care of things myself, and I'm pretty sure you know what I mean, it didn't happen as often. Also, sometimes, I'd sleep in two pairs of boxers, just to be safe," he explained.

"Really?" he heard from not two, but three voices. The three of them turned to Kenny, and saw that he was just as intrigued with the conversation as Jacob and Jared.

"Yeah, and well, when you get aroused at inconvenient times, it's best to start reciting something in your head to concentrate on something else. Um, like baseball or football stats. Fifa soccer teams, or in your case, Kenny, the Periodic Table of Elements. Also, occasionally, you gotta go to the place that no guy ever wants to go. Grandma in a bikini. That one will deflate the problem every time. Now, any questions?" Edward asked his three students.

"Does it ever stop?"

"What about when you're at school?"

"What's your wife look like?"

The last comment was from Kenny, which Edward didn't appreciate very much. "Okay, Jake, it doesn't really stop, but it becomes more manageable as you get older. Jared, if it happens at school, try to think about other things, but if that doesn't work, always carry a book with you, and get to the john as fast as possible. Cold water on your face helps sometimes, and well, that grandma image. Kenny, dude, my wife is gorgeous, and if the cops show up at my house tonight, I'll send her up here to kick your ass. Now, any more questions?" he asked.

After three 'no's', he turned to Kenny. "Three separate bags, please. Two with one magazine and one tube, each. The other with the beer, donuts, and well, the other tube," he ordered. He saw the three of them looking at him curiously.

"I'm gonna be out of town next week. Like I said, it never goes away," he offered as the three laughed at him.

Each boy grabbed a goody bag, and left the store. After a quick stop at the grocery store for ice cream, Edward drove home, and as soon as the car was stopped, Jacob and Jared launched themselves from the car and into the house. By the time he entered the house, having grabbed his duffel from the trunk and slipping his tube of lube inside, he heard doors slamming and Bella on the stairs. That was the next hurdle…explaining it to their mother.

He placed the beer in the fridge and grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. After filling the bowl for them to share, he took her hand and led her outside so that they could talk in private. He knew for a fact that if the boys found out that he'd told her about their discussion, they'd never trust him again.

He hadn't decided whether or not to tell her about the little "Welcome to Puberty" prize packages he'd purchased. He decided it was best to see how she took the rest of the news.

A shared bowl of ice cream and a lot of beating around the proverbial bush…no pun intended…gave Edward the impression that he was dealing with the most beautiful, _naïve_ woman on the planet. He was just going to have to be blunt and hope for the best.

"Bella, honey, they're both getting involuntary erections and wet dreams. Jared washing his sheets the other morning? That's because he didn't want you to find them," he told her and waited for the recognition to set in. She didn't disappoint.

"They're just little boys!" she exclaimed.

"Love, take another look. Jacob is just a few inches shorter than me, and Jared's not far behind him. I'd like to see you try to hold them on your lap these days. Anyway, I had a talk with them…by the way, if your dad or Emmett shows up to arrest me for being a sexual deviant, go to the _Quik Stop_ and beat the fuck out of a kid named Kenny. He looked like he was about ten seconds away from calling Chris Hansen or some sort of hotline before I called the boys into the store and explained shit in front of him," he told her.

"You explained involuntary sexual urges to my sons in front of the clerk at the _Quik Stop_?" she asked with a look of surprise on her face.

"Well, I sorta had to, based on the stuff I was buying," he told her, wading into waters he'd have rather stayed out of.

"What did you buy?" she asked him.

He himmed and hawed around for thirty seconds before he came clean. If she cleaned their rooms and found the items on her own, he feared the punishment he'd receive would be far worse for keeping it from her. "Keep your hair on, okay. I _might_ have bought them each a bottle of lube and a magazine," he confessed.

He didn't expect her to hit him on the back of the head before she gasped, "You bought my eleven-year old sons lube and porn?"

"_Hey_, you have no idea how much a dry rub hurts, and if nobody tells you, you can be put off by the whole thing pretty quickly which leads to a lifetime of frustration until someone tells you about lube. Regarding the porn, it's just '_Playboy' _which is almost not like porn at all.

"Hell, there's more suggestive stuff in a '_Victoria's Secret'_ catalogue. Oh, you might wanna start leaving some of those around. You know, _variety_," he told her with a laugh in his voice at her expression. He was having a lot more fun mortifying her than he'd ever imagined.

"Oh, now _I'm_ supposed to aid and abed. _I _don't even look at '_Victoria's Secret'_ catalogues," she responded with incredulity.

"Yeah, why is that? We're going to have to fix that," he told her as he pulled her closer on his lap, ready to take her to bed and put the rest of the night out of his head.

"Do you realize that my sons are going to have a skewed perception of women's bodies based on the women in that magazine? Their boobs aren't real, and _all_ women don't wax everything off. How in the hell are they supposed to have a realistic view of what the girls _they'll_ meet will look like?" she pushed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

That wasn't something he'd thought about. He knew the women in the magazines were quite physically enhanced and airbrushed, but it hadn't occurred to him that the boys wouldn't know it. It was the only flaw in a nearly perfect plan. "I didn't think about that. Well, I'll talk to them about it…part of the whole 'respect women and no-means-no' discussion that I'll need to have with them. I certainly don't plan to go up there and burst their bubbles right _now_, if that's what you're getting at," he told her with a smirk.

"Ewwwww… God, it's a shame that I'm not a lesbian. At least there would have been a balance of power in this house," she told him.

"Thanks for _that _visual. It'll come in handy next week. I think you'll see a marked improvement in their attitudes by tomorrow," Edward told her as he kissed along her neck, hoping he could make her forget the conversation, if just for an hour. He had his own way of relieving stress, and it had everything to do with the woman on his lap to whom his hard cock was making itself known.

The hitching of her breath gave him the only green light he needed. "Come on…I don't need porn…I've got you," he whispered as he handed her the ice cream bowl and picked her up, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist as he supported her weight under her attractive ass.

They stepped through the door, his lips attached to her neck, and both heard the complaints.

"God, please? We're sittin' right here…"

"Dude, that's our mom…"

He stopped by the kitchen to drop off the bowl, and with a quick "night" tossed their way, he had Bella up the stairs and on the bed, only stopping long enough to lock _his _bedroom door. His last thought before her top came off… "_To each his own."_

\\\

_**E/N: Oh, please, let me hear from you! I was so worried about this chapter. **_

_**Thanks for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Thank you so very much for your reviews and support! I truly love reading what you think. Also, thank you to Scorpio11 for making this a much better story to read.**_

_**NOTE: One of you lovelies pointed out to me that the age of consent in Washington State is actually 16…a fact of which I was unaware. I should have done the research, but I didn't (like a moron), so I'm going to ask you to please grant me a blind eye on that fact. I apologize for the snafu on my part, and I'll make sure things like that don't happen again.**_

_**Regarding Emancipation in Washington, a minor, age 16 or 17 can petition the court for emancipation, but there are criteria that must be met (i.e., abuse, neglect, etc.) before the court would grant the petition. In my opinion, Alice wouldn't meet the criteria if she were to petition the court for emancipation at 17 because her parents are none of those things. Again, her age is a big factor in major events that are coming up in this story, so I ask you, once again, to bear with me on this point. **_

_**Okay, let's get to it. SMeyer owns Twilight characters. No infringement intended. I might be dumb about some things, but I'm not dumb enough to do that!**_

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_16._

_##_

"Honey, I'm not seventeen. God, give me a minute," Edward told her as he lay panting next to her. She'd completely put the conversation out of her mind that they'd had on the deck, and after he showed her the fireworks behind her eyes by swirling his tongue around a very sensitive spot on her body, she'd returned the favor by taking him into her mouth and hopefully, showing him the same Fourth of July extravaganza.

She was waiting for him to recover, knowing that it wouldn't take him long, despite his protestations that he needed time. She rested her head on his chest and drew circles around his nipples, seeing them pebble much like hers did when he did the same thing.

"So, how old were you when you first started having _urges_?" she asked quietly. They'd heard the boys traverse back up the stairs and close their doors, so she knew they were in bed.

"Actually, seventh grade. There was a girl who came back to school from summer break who had boobies, and once I got a look at her, I spent a lot of time by myself. That's something else, sweetheart. If they start spending a lot of time in their rooms or in the bathroom, don't take it personally, okay? They'll get used to it and things will calm down," he told her.

She thought about what he'd said and leaned up on her left arm, not feeling pain for the first time in a long time. "Thank you for talking to them and helping them out, I guess. But, my dear boyfriend, if you wanna get laid, you need to change the subject," she told him.

When he pulled her on top of him and began lavishing her chest with kisses, all thoughts were forgotten. Feeling him inside her made her mind go blank, and that night, it happened three times. She fell into an exhausted sleep from which she didn't emerge until nearly 8:00 AM.

Bella got up from bed and took a quick shower without waking Edward. After his performance the night before, she believed he deserved a little more sack time, and she wanted to make a large breakfast for the family, sort of in celebration of the fact that they were going to try living together.

When she opened the fridge she noticed that there was no milk, so she grabbed the keys to Edward's car and headed to the _Quik Stop_ at the edge of the neighborhood. She went inside, grabbed a carton of milk, and headed to the register. She was considering buying a lottery ticket for the Saturday night drawing when she heard the clerk clear his throat.

"Is that your car?" the kid asked her. She looked up and saw a young guy studying her, probably around eighteen, with thick glasses.

"It's my…yeah, it's my car, why?" she asked. She glanced at the nametag and saw it was Kenny, the kid from the night before. She smiled at him and saw him nearly swallow his tongue.

"Well, uh, there was a guy in here last night with two boys who claimed he was your husband. Is he?" Kenny asked her.

That was a part of the story that Edward had left out, but she laughed anyway. "Yes, he is, and those were our sons. I heard the story, and while I'm not exactly thrilled about it, I trust you'll keep it to yourself. You wouldn't want me to have to pull out the skills I learned at my self-defense class, would you? I mean, you shouldn't jump to the wrong conclusion. My _husband_ is a great dad to my sons," she reiterated to the little dweeb.

"Oh, ma'am, I'd never say anything to anyone. He gave me a lot of great advice as well. Have a great day," the kid told her as he bagged the milk and handed it to her, not bothering to ring it up. She didn't question him; she just walked out the door, shaking her ass a little for him, and got into the car with a smile on her face. If she didn't realize how great a guy Edward was before, she did in that moment.

That greatness would only be magnified when she got home and found her sons in the garage, humming and smiling as they pushed out two newer-looking lawn mowers. When she got out of the car, she walked over to where they were standing, deep in discussion, and she looked at them for clarification. "Boys, where'd those come from?" she asked.

"They were delivered yesterday morning. That guy, Paul, from Reed's Nursery dropped 'em off and told us that Edward had worked it out. He's gonna loan us the money to buy 'em. They're used and stuff, but they've probably still got a few years left in 'em. Edward worked out a payment plan so that we can pay him back by the end of the summer, and we can still save money. Hang onto him, Ma. He's a pretty cool guy," Jacob told her as he filled first one mower with gas then the other.

"I plan to, boys. Before you go, come inside and let me fix you breakfast," she ordered. They both agreed, and when she walked into the kitchen through the garage, she saw Edward humming and smiling as he filled the coffee maker.

"Hello, love. Where'd you go?" he asked as she removed the milk from the bag and placed it on the counter.

"I went to the _Quik Stop_ to pick up milk, and I met your newest fan. Apparently, _Kenny_ works a lot of hours, _husband_," she teased, seeing his ears turn red.

"I guess I sorta forgot to mention that part of the story. Well, put yourself in my shoes. I show up with two unrelated minors and buy…what I bought? My ass is going to straight to jail without passing go," he informed as he turned to her and pulled her into his body to kiss her good morning.

After the kiss, which left her breathing hard yet again, she pulled away to begin making blueberry pancakes for the most important men in her life. She moved around the kitchen easily with Edward pouring the two of them coffee and settling into the paper at the table.

It didn't escape her notice that it was a very domestic scene to the outsider, and in that moment, she could actually envision many more Saturday mornings going off in a similar fashion. The idea didn't scare her at all.

##

In the three cul-de-sacs that made up the neighborhood of Piney Woods, there were a total of thirty-six homes. Five on each side of each street with two at the circle. On Bennett Circle, there was only one vacancy. It was the brown house with the white trim at the circle, and it had been vacant for nearly a year. Someone was mowing the lawn, but any other gardening had gone by the wayside.

There were two properties in Piney Woods that could jeopardize the Garden Club prize…the house at the circle on Bennett Circle, and the burned out lot where the Uleys had lived. Everyone in the neighborhood was anxious to know what was being done with regard to the rubble and blemish on the beautiful neighborhood, but in the near-term, the biggest concern was the house at the end of Bennett Circle.

Edward saw Rosalie crossing her yard in bare feet as he stood under the large oak tree, watering the mums that the boys had planted in his absence. He vaguely remembered seeing them the night before, but in all of the chaos that had ensued that Friday night he hadn't had the time to appreciate them.

"Hey, Rose. What's new?" he asked as he switched off the hose so he didn't accidentally get her wet. He could only imagine the hell he'd have to pay if he squirted Rosalie McCarty with a hose.

Jacob and Jared were mowing Mrs. Cope's lawn, and the neighborhood was teeming with activity that Saturday morning at 11:00 AM. To Edward, it was the most normal thing in the world.

"I talked to Vicky yesterday. She's the block president for Abingdon. Anyway, they're going to begin clearing the lot next week. Is there anything salvageable for Bella and the boys?" Rosalie asked. She'd been at Edward's house when Bella's house had gone up in flames, and she felt sorry for the family. She was quite happy to have them living next door because she knew how responsible the boys were, and if she had to work late, she knew she could call the Uley boys and ask them to take care of Brutus. She had every confidence that they'd do their best.

"Unfortunately, no. Her mom is trying to come up with pictures of the boys when they were little because Bella lost everything, but I've done all I could to try to replace some things. There will be things I can't replace, but tangible things are taken care of. I know she was grateful for you loaning her the clothes, but she's about half-a-foot shorter than you, and everything was too long," he informed, hoping Rosalie understood Bella's gratitude. She'd told him that she'd thanked the woman over and over when she returned the clothes, but she was still concerned that she'd offended the neighbor.

Rosalie laughed. She knew that Bella was grateful, and she was pretty sure that the clothes were too big, but she'd offered them anyway, in the interest of helping a neighbor. "Yeah, I know. So, anyway, the house at the end of the block has been sold. I received a request for the Home Owner's Association documents. From what the realtor told me, it's a nice family from Iowa. They have twin girls and an older son, and they're moving in sometime next week. I think it will be good to have more kids on the block, don't you?" Rosalie asked him.

One thing crossed Edward's mind. "How old are the girls?" he asked her.

"Um, thirteen, I think. Why?" she asked.

He pointed to Jared and Jake and watched as Rosalie's eyes followed his finger. When she saw where he'd pointed, she laughed. "_Oh!_ Well, maybe they're ugly," she offered.

"At this point, they could have three legs and no arms, and I don't think it would matter. Thanks for the head's up. I guess I'd better have another talk with them," Edward told her, hearing her laugh.

"This is probably a lot for you to take on, isn't it? You're not _that_ old," she commented.

"Some days, I feel ancient," he commented with a laugh. She turned to return to her home, and he returned to watering the flowers in the yard. He knew he needed to give Bella forewarning that two girls were moving into the neighborhood, and he certainly hoped that there wouldn't be knocking on the door at ungodly hours with complaining parents because the two horndogs of Bennett Circle were following their daughters around. One thing at a time…

##

_Oh hell. The new neighbors are moving in and the girls are gorgeous. Please get home soon because the boys are going to be spending a lot of time in their rooms. I miss you – B_

Bella sent the message early on Friday morning. The week had been tumultuous, and she was anxious for Edward to get home because she truly missed him.

Alice had been at their house crying every day because Jasper had left on Sunday, offering Edward a ride to the airport. The smug look on Edward's face as he kissed Bella good-bye had sent up a glowing flare.

Add to that the fact that she'd been working a lot of overtime in anticipation of the office being closed and her training. She was trying to minimize the impact that her training would have on her personal life because the boys would be gone to the lake with her parents at the same time, and she was looking forward to having Edward home and to herself for the week. They were going to go camping the weekend of the Fourth, but the week prior was what she was anticipating.

Just as she was about to go upstairs to dress for work, her Bolt phone buzzed on the counter, causing her to laugh. She picked it up and saw it was from Edward, and after a few manipulations because she hadn't really bothered to figure out how to do anything other than answer it, she brought up the text.

_I'm in hell. The actors they hired suck. The team is fighting. I miss being at home. Call me when you have time. Love u – E_

She laughed and called him, hearing him answer before the end of the first ring. "Hey baby. How are things at home?" he asked, sounding exhausted.

"We're fine… more or less. What's up with you?" she asked.

"I'm frustrated. The actors for the commercial aren't right. I wanna come home. Can you write me a note to get me out of here?" he teased. She could hear the playfulness in his voice, and it made her smile.

She climbed the stairs to their bedroom and closed the door once she was inside, sitting on the unmade bed and staring at his spot, missing him more than she'd ever have thought possible.

"You're frustrated because of the actors? I thought that was all set," she told him as she stretched out on the bed and tucked his pillow under her head, trying to pretend that it was his chest and that he was next to her.

"I thought it was as well, but the Volturi brothers are temperamental bastards. They're bitching about everything, and I'm ready to ring their necks. So, tell me what you're wearing," he responded, which caused her to giggle.

"Sounds like you're frustrated for more than one reason," she told him as she turned on her back and relaxed. She didn't really care if she was late for work that morning. Talking to him was a huge pleasure, and she wasn't about to cut it short.

Over the week, the phone calls had been short because he always asked to talk to the three of them. The fact that he'd ask her specifically to call him that morning made her quite happy.

"Yeah, baby, I am. I miss you so much. I miss the boys, but I really miss waking up next to you. I'm trying to get this shit figured out so I can get home because I had no idea how hard it would be to be away from you," he told her softly. Her heart soared.

"I know, but just a few more days, right? I mean, we can handle that, right? So, what I'm wearing? Um, a pair of your boxers and a tank top because I need to do laundry. I've been working so much that I haven't had time, and we're running out of clothes. That's going to be my weekend. Alice has been here crying on my shoulder every day since Jasper left. Have you heard from him?" she asked.

"I got a text a few days ago. He's in Sedona. Apparently, he came to his senses that the ten years between him and Alice is a big hurdle, so he's burying himself in work to try not to think about her. I think it's for the best, don't you?" he asked.

She thought about it, and at any other given point in the future, ten years wouldn't be a big deal for the couple, but the difference between seventeen and twenty-seven was like the Grand Canyon in Bella's mind, so she tended to agree with him. "Yeah, I think you're right. What time are you supposed to go to work?" she asked.

"I've got time for a shower and a quick breakfast, but I just needed to hear your voice. I'll get this shit figured out as soon as I can. I miss you so fucking much. I just wanted you to know that," he told her as the couple prepared to hang up the phone that Friday morning.

"I miss you too. Love you," she told him. He returned the sentiment, adding that he'd call her that night, and the two hung up.

She dressed for work, and went about her day, and when she didn't hear from him by nearly 11:00 PM that night, she called his cell. It went to voicemail, so she left a message.

She then called the Bolt cell that she knew he carried so he could talk to the boys and her, and it was answered on the second ring. "Edward's phone," called a feminine voice over the line.

"Hi, this is Bella. Is he around?" she asked apprehensively, not sure who would be answering his phone.

"Bella who?" the young woman asked. Bella was instantly pissed.

"Bella, his _girlfriend_. May I speak with him?" she responded forcefully.

"Oh, I didn't know he had a girlfriend. He didn't mention it. Well, he's not able to come to the phone, but I'll tell him you called when he catches his breath. Bye," the girl called over the line.

_That_ didn't set well at all, and all of her old insecurities came flooding back regarding the three years she'd spent with Sam. She couldn't imagine that Edward was anything like her ex, and she was holding out hope that it was all a misunderstanding. She was ready to scream, but she'd hold onto the trust she had for him. She couldn't believe he would cheat, and she prayed she was right.

##

"Why are we in the gym?" Benjamin Cheney asked Edward that Friday night. It was late, and Edward was frustrated, so a run sounded like a good idea. He'd told the team to meet him in the gym of the hotel where they were staying, though only he'd changed into workout clothes, but he decided that maybe that was a good idea.

"I think better when I'm running. Now, this stuff isn't working, so we need new ideas. Start talking," he ordered as he cranked up the tread mill, tossing his Volt Bolt phone on the floor because it was tugging his shorts down and he certainly didn't want to expose himself in front of his team.

He saw them talking amongst themselves as they stood in front of him on the treadmill, and as he cranked up the speed, he announced, "No, I need you to talk to _me_."

A strawberry blonde in high heels stepped forward, kicking off her shoes and climbing on the elliptical next to him in her skirt replied, "The family is all wrong. They're too preppy. No offense, but our target demo is blue collar. Dad needs to be in jeans and a t-shirt or a work shirt with his name on it. Mom needs to be in a waitress uniform, _without_ pearls, and the kids need to be in absolutely nothing designer. I mean, hell, that family that was cast? They could be in a fucking Calvin Klein commercial. That's not our target. We should actually lose the Dad…no, wait, lose the Mom. Single Dad's get more notice because those bastard's are few and far between," she remarked as she continued to work out.

"_There_! That's what I'm looking for. What else?" he asked breathily as he increased the incline on the treadmill.

"Well, I'd say that we don't even cast actors. We need man-on-the-street interviews. It might take longer to get positive sound bites, but what if we hit the streets with cameras and just talk to people?" a guy Edward remembered was named Eric Yorkie. He didn't know the guy very well, but he remembered he was a graphic artist who'd designed the print ads that Edward liked.

He slowed the treadmill enough so he could actually speak and smiled as the sweat poured out of him, his mind finally clearing. "That's a great idea. Pair off and go buy video cameras tomorrow morning. Find shopping malls, and start interviewing people. Take releases for them to sign if you get anything good, and if you do, take down their addresses and promise them free phones with one hundred minutes. We'll piece it together in editing. I agree with Strawberry Shortcake here. The family sucks," he told them. He slowed the treadmill to a walk to cool down, and he watched them pair off, talking strategy, which was what he wanted.

Once he was finished, he walked over to a water cooler in the corner and grabbed a drink. He was catching his breath, and his mind was running a mile a minute.

That was when he remembered he needed to call Bella, but when he looked at the clock, he saw it was too late to contact her that night, so he decided to just go back to his room, shower, and turn in, having determined that he'd call her the next morning.

He walked over to the treadmill and wiped it down, looking for his phone. "Has anyone seen my phone? It has a big 'E' on the back in marker. Hey, get some of those damn covers that we had made. I need a Mariners, a Seahawks, and um, something with sparkles. Oh, and get me a brown one, will ya? We'll meet for breakfast in the restaurant at 8:00 before we move out. Scatter," he commented as a blonde handed him his phone.

"Here you go, _Edward_," she chanted to him with a smug smile on her face. He couldn't remember her name, but he knew she was the gopher, so he simply said, "Thanks."

He gathered the rest of his things and went to his room without much conversation. He was exhausted, but he was sure that sleep wouldn't come easily unless he called Bella and heard her voice.

After a quick shower, he picked up his Volt Bolt and dialed hers, despite his decision not to call because it was late. When she didn't answer, he left her a message and settled into bed to fall to sleep. He heard a chirping sound that annoyed him, but he immediately recognized it as his _other_ cellphone, so he fished it out of his duffel and checked his messages.

There was a couple from colleagues forwarding jokes which he dismissed. There was a reminder of the block party in the middle of July which he saved. There was one from his niece Alice asking if he could give her a new number for Jasper because his old number had been disconnected, and there was one from Bella. He opened it quickly.

_I don't know who answered your other phone, but she told me that you couldn't come to the phone because you were out of breath. I'm hanging here by a thread that you aren't out of breath because you were fucking her. B_

He re-read the message several times before it settled in for him. The gopher, who was an obnoxious flirt, had his phone, and she must have answered it while he was on the treadmill. He remembered what Bella had told him about Sam, and he knew he needed to call her and explain it to her. He prayed that she'd understand it, and he prayed that she trusted him, because on the surface, it really did look bad.

He called Bella's Bolt, her personal cell, and finally, the house phone. When he didn't get an answer on any of them, he sent texts to her two phones.

_Three phones and you don't answer? Look, I was working out, and someone answered my phone. It's not what you think. Call me, please. I'll be up all night, I'm pretty sure. I only love you, Bella. I've fought too hard for you to do something that stupid, and you know it. E_

He rested on top of the covers on his bed with two phones in his hands, and his mind raced at the implications of something so stupid. He decided that the next day he'd send the gopher home and recommend that she be fired because she was nothing but trouble, but his immediate problem had his attention.

He sent two more texts that night…or early morning…before he dozed off. He hoped and prayed that she got the message somehow, but if he had to go home to tell her that it was a misunderstanding, he'd do it, even if it cost him his job. She was more important to him than his job. He hoped he could make her understand it.

##

Bella was jolted awake by several things. The buzzing of her two cell phones on the dresser was less pressing than the pounding on the bedroom door. She grabbed a robe and pulled it on, opening it to see her sons standing before her looking very harried.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Both boys thrust their cell phones into her face with the same message on the screen.

_Guys – when you wake up, talk to your mom and tell her it was a misunderstanding. She won't answer me. I miss you all. Edward_

She looked at both phones, and then she looked at her sons. She could see they were pissed at her, and it was then that she realized how protective they were of Edward. While she wasn't pleased with the looks, she was pleased with the loyalty.

"So?" she asked nonchalantly, not ready to drag them into the drama nor was she willing to tell them the story of how they'd ended up with the texts. She'd set Edward straight on using them to get to her, but in that moment, she wasn't pissed about it.

"So? What happened?" Jacob asked as he shoved his phone in the pocket of his sweats.

Not wanting to give them a lengthy explanation, she simply said, "Like he said, it was a misunderstanding, and I fell asleep and missed his calls. I'll talk to him. Where's the love?" she asked them.

Jared spoke first. "We love you, and we'll go along with whatever, but he seems to be sincere, Mom. I mean for him to text us at three o'clock in the mornin'? That's pretty fu…desperate." She was quite happy he tempered his language because she didn't want to scold him in that moment.

"Well, he shouldn't have involved you guys in this, but don't worry. I'll call him and we'll talk it out. Now, it's early. Go back to bed," she told them. They didn't put up an argument, and after she heard their doors close, she went back to bed herself and picked up the Volt Bolt, hitting the speed dial for his number.

It rang once, and then she heard his raspy voice on the line. "Bella, God, I've been trying to get you. You got the wrong impression, honey. I was with my team in the gym, and the gopher had my phone. I swear, it wasn't anything like you described," he told her before she ever had the chance to say hello.

She felt guilty for doubting him, but the fact remained that she'd heard another woman answer his phone, and really, what kind of woman did that?

"I jumped to a conclusion, but do me a huge favor and put yourself in my shoes. You call me and a guy answers and tells you I'm too out of breath to come to the phone. Oh, and he tells you that he knows nothing about you? I mean, really?" she defended.

"I know, I know, and Siobhan warned me about her, but I didn't really even talk to her except to ask for copies and shit. She's out of here today, okay? I swear to God, nothing happened. Bella, honey, I'm not Sam, okay?" he begged over the line, softening her heart. He'd proved over and over again that he was nothing like Sam, and she knew that she had to believe him.

"I know. I'm sorry to jump to wrong assumptions. I won't do it again, I promise. Go back to sleep, and call me when you have time. I love you, and we all miss you. Your minions have already jumped my ass this morning, so rest assured, you've got two allies here who will take up your cause every time. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, but they've got your back," she reassured, hearing him laugh on the line.

"Well, desperate times and all of that crap. I'll talk to you later. I love you, Bella," he told her. They said their good-byes, and hung up. She felt a lot better about things because in her head, she knew if he was up to no good, he'd never enlist her sons to go to bat for him. She had a good man, and she had to learn how to deal with that because it was something completely foreign to her. That, in her mind, was a very good thing.

##

Edward sat at the laptop that Eric Yorkie was using to edit together the footage that had been gathered regarding the phone. The feedback had been good when the right questions were honed by the staff, and he was confident that the commercial they were cobbling together would be better than the expensive one that the Volturi brothers thought they were getting.

They were under the gun because they had an hour before the meeting to get the commercial approved, and everything else was in place. It was Monday morning, and if the brothers liked the commercial, then everyone could go home. He prayed they bought into the simplistic approach he'd taken because it fit the product better than a glossy ad.

He wanted it a bit rough-cut because the target audience wasn't shiny or smooth. They were people who worked hard for a living, and seeing people who reminded them of themselves would sell it better than some fancy commercial.

His strategy was simple. After the initial roll out of the campaign, he'd send crews to different cities across the country to do the same thing…talk to people on the street, which would be the next commercial. It was simple, and it was free. He only prayed that the brothers bought into the concept.

"Perfect. Burn three of those. One for the file; one for the company; and one for the production staff, but you walk them through it. I want it rough. I don't want it glossy because that won't sell, got it," he instructed Yorkie who had been given a battlefield promotion. The guy nodded, and Edward stood and stretched.

It had been a long week and weekend, and he was anxious to get the fuck out of Portland. His team had filtered into the room before they proceeded to the conference room to meet with the Volt people, and he had one last pep talk to give.

"I'm really, really, proud of you. We took on an impossible account, and we've made it work. I could never have done it alone. You all own a piece of this, and I hope you'll be as proud of it when it hits the markets in August as I will. Now, who has the prototypes for the covers?" he asked, seeing Bree Tanner hold up her hand. He nodded.

"Who has the print ads?" he asked, seeing Tanya hold up her hand.

"Great. Yorkie has the commercial, and we're ready. Their legal people have to obtain the licensing for the covers because they want to keep it in house, but other than that, this is all us. Be proud, Team Volt. You've done well," he told them as the all grabbed their things and followed him like he was the Pied Piper.

Once they were settled into the conference room that the Volturi brothers had directed for the meeting, he was surprised to see Larry Burke standing in the back. He rose from his place at the head of the table and walked over to the back of the room to address his boss.

"Larry, I didn't know you'd be here," he greeted nervously.

"I got your updates, and I thought it would help if someone from upper management was here to back you up. I'm looking forward to seeing the campaign. We have a lot of faith in you, Masen. I'm not here to take over. I'm just an observer," he informed as the Volturi brothers and their entourage breezed in.

Edward nodded and took back his seat. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the next step of success for Volt Wireless. Yorkie, hit it," he demanded, having determined that the commercial was the strongest selling point because it was something that the Volt people weren't expecting.

After the presentation, wherein every member of the team played their part, Edward sat back and waited. He'd tried to take the temperature of the room because he was worried, especially with his boss there, but he was confident of the presentation as he thought about how to summarize their campaign.

If the Volturi brothers didn't like it, he was out. He'd wash cars or cut grass with the boys because he'd put his heart and soul into the campaign, and if it wasn't a hit, then he would have no confidence whatsoever.

"So, if you're people can secure the licenses to allow you to produce the covers, it's another add-on to the service, and they can be offered through the website and at retail outlets. Once the campaign is launched, we have a lot of ideas regarding how to keep it fresh and things that can be added, but pure and simple, this is our presentation.

"You go for the families that need the phones the most because both parents work and the kids are latchkey, and you offer incentives along the way via the website or free text offerings to the phones themselves. It keeps your customers engaged, and based on market research most families with school-aged children either have internet in the home or have access to it.

"This is the way we believe you should go. Thank you for your time," Edward concluded as he stood and looked at his team.

They all rose and began to file out. When Aro Volturi stood up and laughed, Edward heard them pause. "Wait, please. We want to talk to all of you," he announced.

Once everyone had settled back in their chairs, Aro continued. "We are quite impressed with everything that went into this campaign. We're impressed with the urgency in which it was assembled, given the deadline we imposed, and we're happy with it.

"We'll work out the details, but ladies and gentlemen, we're excited about this. Thank you. There's a reception downstairs for those of you who aren't in as much of a hurry to get home as Edward, so please, join us," he announced, and with a wave of his hand, everyone was leaving the room.

Edward stayed put. He needed to make certain that Aro didn't think that the work suffered because he'd been preoccupied with his own family.

"Aro, if you believe…" he began.

Aro held up his hand. "No need to explain. I know nothing of your circumstance, but you appear to be a young man in love, and I certainly would never hold you up from getting back to your heart's desire. I've been in your shoes before, so believe me, I understand it. We'll talk next week. Great job," he told Edward as he shook his hand.

After a few minutes of glad handing, Edward snuck out of the building after Larry told him to go, and he went to his hotel to check out. He was going home two days early, and he was going to surprise Bella and the boys. He was quite happy about the prospect, and if it was the future he had to look forward to, he was more than ready.

\\\

_**E/N: We all knew that Heidi was going to be a problem. How do you think Bella handled it? Oh, and the girls have moved in. That's going to cause a lot of chaos on Bennett Circle!**_

_**Thanks for reading. This will be the last chapter posted on this story...for a week. (Keep your hair on!) I've got RL stuff coming up to handle, but as soon as I can, I'll get back to you. Don't go anywhere while I'm gone. You're gonna wanna stick around and see what the next mischief is that Jacob and Jared get into.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: Welcome back! Oh, I guess that's me. So, how've we all been? I'm just happy to be home, and I hope I haven't lost you during my absence. Let's get to it, shall we?**_

_**Scorpio11 makes this a much more entertaining read. Big props to her.**_

_**SMeyer gave us all the characters to enjoy. I borrow, never infringe.**_

_**\\\**_

17.

##

"You can't take on anymore work. You guys are cutting fifteen yards a week, and I think that's quite enough," Bella argued with her sons that Monday night over dinner. They'd been approached by the block presidents to overhaul the neighborhood gardens and take care of the fall planting. The HOA was going to pay them seventy-five dollars per garden and furnish all supplies, and Bella could tell they wanted it badly.

"Ma, it's not that big a deal. It's three Saturday afternoons in late July. We've already talked to all of our customers about being gone the week of the Fourth, and they've all said that it's okay if we miss a week. If we don't get a lot of rain, the grass won't grow that much anyway. We'll have time, and it's too much money to turn down. Pop always tells us that you never say no to honest work," Jacob reminded.

It was her father's philosophy, and she'd heard it so much growing up that she wanted to break something every time he said it, so she wasn't surprised he'd engrained it in her sons. It only served to remind her of a particular lesson her parents had instilled in her growing up which she was still trying to live down…_handle your problems yourself_.

"I'll think about it, okay? Now, have you talked to the new neighbors?" she asked. She'd seen them spending a lot more time down the street at the end of the cul-de-sac in the evenings since the new neighbors had moved in, and while she hadn't had the opportunity to introduce herself at that point, she'd seen the daughters and they were gorgeous.

After her boys had seen them, they'd started spending a lot more time in their rooms…or at the end of the street on their bikes…just as Edward had predicted.

"The Vaughns? Yeah, we met 'em. Seem nice," Jacob replied as he fixed himself his third hamburger.

"_Nice_? Yeah, I saw the way you were lookin' at Vanessa. Didn't seem nice…_OW!_" Jared replied as he leaned forward and rubbed his shin. Bella assumed that Jake had kicked him under the table, and she tried not to laugh.

"Oh, what are the girls' names?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Kim and Vanessa are the twins. They have an older brother who just graduated from high school. His name is Seth, and he's stayin' at their grandparents' farm until after the Fourth. He's gonna go to UDub in the fall like Alice. Their dad's Demitri, and their mom is Jane. They're nice. He saw us cuttin' the Meyers' grass and asked us how much we charged," Jared volunteered, moving his chair to put distance between his shin and Jake's foot, Bella deduced.

"So, who likes whom?" she directed at Jake with a cocked eyebrow. Luckily for her, the boys were still of the age that she could immediately tell when they were lying.

"Don't know what you're talkin' about, Ma. When's Edward comin' home?" Jake asked, trying to change the subject.

They heard a key in the door, and Bella quickly turned them to whisper, "That's probably Alice. Do _not_ ask about Jasper unless you want her to cry on your shoulder the rest of the night." They both nodded, having witnessed Alice's "tear fests" as they'd labeled her hysterical crying spells.

Bella heard keys on the table in the hallway, and a boom of something being dropped. She rose from the table to see what the hell was going on and was surprised to see Edward walking down the hallway with the mail in his hands.

"What are _you_ doing home?" she asked as she went to greet him, giving him a swift peck on the lips. Just as she was about to back away from him, he dropped the mail on the floor and swept her into his arms to give her a big kiss. She was a very happy woman to have him home.

When they pulled away from the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers with a smile on his face. "We finished early, and I hot-footed it out of there. The rest of the team stayed for a party, but I got the hell outta Dodge," he told her as he squeezed her ass, causing her to giggle.

"So when we get a girlfriend, do we get to put our hands on her ass and take advantage of her in the hallway?" Jared asked behind them, causing Jacob to laugh and Edward to blush at being caught.

"When you're my age unless she slaps your face, go for it. How you doin' guys?" Edward asked as he reached down to pick up the mail and follow Bella into the kitchen. He deposited the mail on the counter and removed his tie and jacket, tossing them on the counter.

"You hungry?" Jacob asked sheepishly because he'd taken the last hamburger but hadn't yet devoured it. He held up his plate and offered it to Edward.

"Thanks, Jake, but I had something at the airport while I waited for my flight. So, everybody getting along?" he asked as he went to the fridge and grabbed a beer, joining them at the table while they finished their dinner.

"Well, the new neighbors are settled, and the boys seem to have the 4-1-1 on all things Vaughn," Bella teased as she took a bite of the potato salad that she'd made the day before when she'd prepared several meals for the week so that she only had to heat them. With Edward being gone and the boys hanging out at the end of the block, she'd found herself with a lot of time on her hands over the weekend.

"_Maaa!_ We just happened to talk to 'em. God, let it go," Jacob complained with an eye roll.

"I'm not implying anything. It's just that they moved in on Friday, and you two have likely out-scooped Mrs. Cope," Bella replied as she began clearing the table.

She glanced over to see Edward mouth something to them, and then she glanced the other way and saw Jared give him two thumbs up, which caused her to smile. It truly made her happy that he was in their life. The interest he showed in the boys warmed her heart more than she'd have ever thought.

"Hey, can you talk to Ma about letting us take over the landscaping of the cul-de-sac gardens? Miss Rosalie and Miss Vicky asked us if we were interested. They'll pay us seventy-five dollars apiece, and Ma says we already have too many jobs," Jacob complained.

"Well, how many do you have?" Edward asked as he sipped on his beer.

"Fifteen yards, maybe sixteen if Kim's dad hires us. S'not that bad," Jared answered.

"Let's think this through for a minute. If you take on more work, you're going to be cutting into your free time. That means you'll have less time to ride your bikes _around the circle,_" Edward reminded.

Bella turned to her sons and saw them looking at each other and then nod in agreement, clearly having deduced the innuendo of Edward's statement. She turned to Edward and saw him watching her, so she winked in thanks. He winked back, and then cleared his throat.

"I'll help your mom with dishes. You guys can go do whatever," he suggested.

Both boys lit out of the kitchen like their asses were on fire, which caused Bella and Edward to laugh. When they heard the front door slam, she turned to him and smiled. "You're as bad as them. What did you ask them that Jared gave you the thumbs up?"

"I asked 'em if they were hot," he teased as he carried the rest of the dishes to the sink and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck and causing her breath to hitch. She'd really missed him.

"Something on your mind, Mr. Masen?" she asked as his hands began to wander up her body to her breasts.

"I'm just thinking of the benefits of having the boys romancing the girls down the street. That gives us more time alone in the house so I can romance _my_ girl," he whispered against her neck. She reached over and turned off the water she'd been rinsing dishes in and turned in his arms, keeping her wet hands off of his shirt.

"I think that's a great idea as long as they…" she began when the two of them heard the front door slam hard.

"Uncle Eddie, I know what you did. Where are you, you coward?" they heard Alice yell from the hallway.

"Shit. You've got my back, right?" he asked Bella. She shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the dishes just as Alice stomped into the kitchen. She looked to see that the young woman was fuming mad, and she was pretty sure that Edward was about to be taken to the woodshed.

##

To Edward Masen, hormones were the bane of his existence of late. He was fighting Jared and Jacob's raging pre-teen hormones, his own raging hormones where Bella was concerned, and that Monday evening, it appeared he was going to be doing battle with Alice's hormones…or her ire.

"Mary Alice, what's are you going on about?" he asked as he stepped away from Bella and quickly busied himself with helping clean the kitchen, hoping to distract his niece from ripping off his balls. He prayed that Bella loved him enough that she'd defend him if necessary, but he wasn't certain that Alice didn't have Carlisle's new Taser in her large purse.

"I heard Dad telling Mom that you talked Jasper into leaving. You told him to stay away from me, and because of you, he changed his number and I can't get in touch with him to talk to him about it. I asked you to send me his new cell number, and you ignored me. I've called the gallery where he's showing his paintings, and he never calls me back. How could you?" Alice pleaded before she broke down. She slumped into a chair at the kitchen table and began sobbing uncontrollably. Edward looked at Bella who merely rolled her eyes.

"Let me go change, and we'll talk about this, okay?" Edward asked as he dried his hands having loaded the dishwasher while Bella wiped down the cabinets, table, and stove.

He rushed upstairs after grabbing his bags, and he quickly changed into shorts and a t-shirt, glancing at the bed and silently praying that nothing Alice said that night would keep him from getting laid. He'd nearly used the whole bottle of lube he'd bought at the _Quik Stop_, and now that he was home, he was looking forward to getting his pleasure, hands-free. Well, not from _his_ hands, anyway.

As he quietly made his way back down the stairs, he heard Bella consoling Alice in the kitchen, so he stopped to listen, hoping and praying that she'd save him from the wrath of the pixie.

"Yes, I am five-, nearly six-years older than Edward, but think about this Alice, would it have been appropriate for me to date him when he was seventeen and I was twenty-three? I realize that you're going to be eighteen in a few weeks, but Jasper is twenty-seven, Alice. He's traveled the world, and he's experienced a lot of life while you're just getting started. Edward only pointed out that fact to him and asked him to consider whether he thought it was fair to hinder your opportunities to have the same experiences," Bella told his niece. He couldn't stop the fist-pump at her words.

"Bella, I've travelled, and I've seen a lot of things…" Alice began.

"Honey, I know that, really I do, but, not on your _own_. Think about this. If you were to start following Jasper around the world, you wouldn't get to go to college, and as someone who didn't get to go, that would be a tragedy. If you and Jasper have any chance of a future, you need to be on a level playing field. Ten years isn't so big a difference, say when you're twenty-five and he's thirty-five, but right now? It's a huge difference. I know that you're mature for your age, but you have so many opportunities to experience things that most of us have only dreamed about. I'd truly hate to see you miss those chances, and I think Jasper realized it as well when he stopped thinking with his dick," Bella told her. Edward tended to agree.

"Yeah, _after_ Uncle Eddie threatened him," Alice snapped.

He heard Bella sigh in exasperation, and just as he was about to join them and try to talk to his niece, he heard Bella say, "What would you do if you called Jasper's phone and another woman answered it? And, let's say that somewhere along the way you'd had a boyfriend cheat on you. What would you think?"

That caught his attention, and caused him to freeze in his tracks because he knew exactly to what Bella was referring. The gopher…

"Well, I'd think he was cheating on me, but Bella, I don't think…" Alice started.

"Don't say that Jasper wouldn't cheat, because honestly, you don't know if that's the case or not. If he told you that nothing was going on and the woman simply answered his phone because he wasn't available, would you believe him?" Bella asked.

"Well, that sounds a little flimsy to me, so I'd probably think the worst," Alice confessed.

"Exactly. At your age, you'd be correct in your assumption that if another woman was answering your boyfriend's phone, he was probably cheating on you. For thirty seconds, I thought the same thing when Edward's cell phone was answered by some girl while he was in Portland. Oh, and the little twat wasted no time telling me that he hadn't mentioned that he had a girlfriend. I sent him a text to that affect, but when I really thought about it and evaluated the situation, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and waited for him to explain to me what had happened. I know him well enough to know that he wouldn't cheat on me, and I was able to hold onto that until I heard his explanation," Bella told her.

"What happened?" Alice asked in a high-pitched voice. He knew it was something that he needed to explain, so he walked into the kitchen.

"I was holding a team meeting in the gym of our hotel, and the gopher, a twenty-one year old flirt, answered my phone. I knew nothing about it until Bella told me, and I got rid of the girl immediately. I'm fortunate that the woman I love more than anything in the world was level-headed and mature enough to let me explain myself before she packed her shit and left me. Thank you again for that, sweetheart. A lesser woman would have been gone," he replied as he turned to Bella and grabbed her hand that rested on top of the table.

"Would Jasper cheat on me if we were together? You know him better than anyone," Alice asked Edward.

"Honestly, I don't know, Alice. Jasper, as far as I know, has never had a relationship that lasted more than a few weeks. In my heart, I don't believe he's ready to settle down, and I couldn't see you become just another girl to him. And, Alice, he has _your_ number. Has he tried to call you since he left town?" Edward asked, gently squeezing Bella's hand.

He watched Alice think about what he'd said, and then shake her head no. "Then, I think you have your answer, little one," Edward told her as he rose from his chair and grabbed two beers from the fridge, opening them and handing one to Bella.

"I'm not saying that you'll never see Jasper Whitlock again, but if you do, I truly want you to be prepared to handle his ways and not get taken advantage of. The only way that happens is for you to live your life and experience the things that you should experience. Honey, I wasn't trying to hijack your relationship. I just didn't want you to get hurt," Edward told Alice. She smiled and squeezed his arm, and then looked around.

"Where are my boyfriends?" she asked teasingly.

"Ah, well, they're taking a page out of my book and trying to woo older women. They're down the block where a set of thirteen-year old twins just moved in. They say that the girls are hot," Edward volunteered, which caused Alice to laugh.

"Oh, this I've gotta see," Alice called as she scrambled from the chair. She kissed Edward on the cheek and then Bella, and then she was gone through the kitchen door and out into the garage.

Edward turned to Bella and pulled her from her chair and onto his lap. "Thank you for talking her down. You're a very smart cookie, you know that?"

"Well, it's not something I haven't been telling her for over a week, but I'm glad it finally sunk in. Now, again, I believe you that nothing happened with that little…tart, but if it ever happens again, I will go Rambo on someone's ass, and then I'm coming after you," she told him with a fire in her eyes that lit a fire in him somewhere else.

"Just so you know, I have mentioned you in team meetings before, but I really can't remember if the girl was there or not. I've never had a personal conversation with her so she'd really have no reason to know anything about my personal life, okay? I'm not hiding our relationship, love. I'm very proud that I'm the guy you love, and if anyone ever asked if I had someone special in my life, I wouldn't hesitate to tell them about the wonderful woman I'm lucky enough to have. So, point taken regarding my phone. I'll glue the fucker to my hand in the future," he told her before he kissed her solidly. The last thing he ever wanted was for Bella to doubt him. He loved her too much for that.

##

As the Uley twins slowly pedaled down the block to the circle, they saw that the Vaughn twins were on their front yard kicking a soccer ball. Jared looked at Jake and nodded, both happy to see that they had something in common with the girls.

Jake stopped just short of the girls' earshot and whispered, "We need to figure out how to get 'em in bikinis. I'd like to see what's under those soccer jerseys." Jared nodded in agreement.

They slowly pedaled around the circle, as had become their M.O. since the girls had moved in the week before, both just waiting to be noticed. Just as Jake was about to pull a wheelie on his bike, Vanessa kicked the ball hard. Kim tried to block it, but it went over her head and actually whopped Jacob in the side of his head, causing him to fall off his bike. He felt the color rise in his face, and as he looked at his palms, he saw the scrapes from the asphalt.

"Shit," he commented as he started to stand.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry," Vanessa called as she and Kim ran into the street. Both girls kneeled down and took a hand, and in that moment, Jacob Uley felt no pain whatsoever.

"S'alright. Just scrapes," he told them as the two girls began gently brushing his palms to rid them of the loose asphalt that had skinned them.

"Come inside. Our parents aren't here right now, but we've got a first-aid kit. The least we could do is clean you up and give you something to drink," Kim told him. Jared hopped off his bike and ambled over to where the girls were fawning over his brother, wishing to hell it was him who'd gotten hurt.

"He's fine. He's clumsy like our Mom," Jared offered as he stood over them with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Am not!" Jake protested.

"Well, it's not exactly your fault. Come inside you two and we'll get this taken care of," Vanessa insisted as she and Kim pulled Jacob from the street. Jared grabbed Jake's bike and parked it on their driveway, and then grabbed his own, parking it next to Jake's.

The four walked into the house with the girls discussing what the best way was to doctor the wounds, and the brothers looked at each other and smiled. A little road rash was worth the opportunity to be able to get to know their new neighbors, and they thought that they actually had the upper hand on the other guys at school. They had most of the summer to get to know the girls and win their hearts, and when school started, they'd get to gloat to their friends that they'd already caught the attention of the Vaughn girls.

"So, um, what grade are you gonna be in?" Jacob asked as he watched Vanessa go to the pantry and pull out a first-aid kit.

"We'll be in seventh. How about you? What would you like to drink?" Kim asked as she walked to the fridge.

"Water," Jacob called as Vanessa took an antiseptic wipe and cleaned the wounds on his hands, causing him to hiss at the stinging. Vanessa leaned forward and blew on his palms, which made him forget all about the pain. Her hot breath caused the reaction that Edward had referenced at the _Quik Stop_, and Jacob immediately pulled his hands from hers and adjusted his t-shirt to try to hide the problem.

Jared witnessed his brother's predicament and chuckled mercilessly. Then, when Vanessa grabbed Jake's hands again and gently applied Neosporin, he saw his brother's face contort into a strange look. He glanced at Kim, who was rifling through the fridge and said, "I'll take a soda if you have one."

He determined that he needed to obtain a wound of his own so that he could get the same treatment as his brother, and a metal soda can offered the opportunity of a cut to a finger, which would definitely be worth it.

When Kim returned to the counter where the boys were sitting, she gave them both their requested drinks, which unfortunately for Jared, came in plastic bottles. His mother never bought the larger sodas, saying that they didn't need that much sugar at one time, and it was then that he wished that Kim's mother was of the same opinion.

"So, what grade?" Kim asked as she opened a bottle of water and handed one to her sister who was applying gauze to Jacob's hands.

"Oh, we'll be in sixth. We have late birthdays," Jared responded.

"Wow, so we'll be in the same school. Great. At least we'll know someone. What's the school like?" Vanessa asked as she taped the gauze in place.

"Don't know. We just moved here at the beginning of the summer. Our house burned down over on Abingdon a few weeks ago. You wanna go see it? They haven't started cleaning it up yet," Jacob asked, knowing that if someone offered him the opportunity to view a burned out house, he'd jump on it. He didn't know if girls thought the same way.

"Oh, maybe tomorrow? We're not allowed to leave the street. Our parents are out on a date night, but we have to be around to answer the house phone. It's like we're on house arrest. Are your parents that bad?" Kim asked, looking at Jared with a smile that caused him to swallow hard.

"Actually, our mom's pretty cool. We cut about fifteen yards in the neighborhoods, and our friend, Alice hangs out with us to be sure we don't cut somethin' off," Jared answered.

Just as Jacob was about to elaborate on the fact that they weren't babies and that Alice actually _liked_ to hang out with them, the front doorbell rang. "Kim, get that," Vanessa ordered.

Jared watched Kim skip away, taking in the swaying of her hips, and he felt the familiar stir to which he was still trying to adjust.

A minute later, Kim returned to the kitchen with the aforementioned Alice behind her. "Hey guys. What's…Jacob, what happened to your hands?"

"He got beaned with a soccer ball and fell off his bike onto his ass. It's a wonder he didn't break his wrist," Jared volunteered with a laugh, seeing the girls giving Alice the up and down.

"Hey, she kicks hard for a girl," Jacob defended with a scowl for his brother.

"I kick hard for a boy, too. I was all-county at our school in Iowa. I bet I can kick your ass at soccer," Vanessa challenged, causing Jacob to smile. She reminded him of his mom just a little. She was what Pop called 'feisty', and he liked that in a girl…or so he was learning.

"Well, I just came to see if you guys would like to go get an ice cream? Bella and Uncle Eddie were cleaning up the kitchen, and I didn't think that you'd want to get sucked into that," Alice offered.

Both boys knew that cleaning the kitchen probably wasn't what their mother and Edward were doing, but neither wanted to think about the sounds they'd heard coming from Edward's bedroom in the past. They'd compared notes, and decided that whatever was going on in that room must have been pretty damn good because the next day, both of them were in great moods.

When Jared had speculated that it probably had something to do with lube, Jake punched him in the head and reminded him that he was talking about their mother, not one of the women in the magazine that Edward had purchased for them.

"Would you girls like to come along? I can borrow Uncle Eddie's car. It's bigger," Alice offered, winking discreetly at Jacob.

"We can't leave the house. Our parents are on a date night, and we have to be able to answer the phone," Vanessa replied.

"Hey, we just bought ice cream the other night, and I don't think much is gone out of it. We could go get it and just have some here," Jared suggested, hoping that his mother hadn't bogarted all the Rocky Road.

"Oh, we've got cones," Kim added.

"Well, boys, why don't you go get the ice cream, and I'll just get to know your friends," Alice suggested, much to the boys' dismay. They really hadn't planned on her staying around, but it didn't appear that she was leaving.

"Be right back," Jared called as he raced out of the house. Before he was on his bike, Jacob was right behind him.

"Dude, you should stay so they'll let us back in," Jared told him.

"I needed a minute. Vanessa brushed her boob against my arm, and well, I need to…um…splash water on my face," he responded.

"Grandma 'Nee in a red bikini," Jared called as he pedaled away before Jacob's beefy paw made contact with the back of his head.

"Dickhead! Wait up!" Jake called behind him.

Jared stopped in front of the McCarty's house and waited. "We only have an hour before curfew, so we need to be quiet when we go inside. Hopefully, they'll be watching TV, and we can get in and get out without gettin' caught," Jacob reasoned. Jared nodded, and they rode to their house and parked their bikes beside the house out of eyesight.

They slipped into the house, and saw that their mother and Edward were on the back patio, her on his lap, and he was feeding her ice cream. "Shit, she got to it," Jared commented in a loud whisper.

"SHHH! God, you're loud. Let's see how much is left," Jake suggested. They opened the freezer and pulled out the carton, feeling that there wasn't much inside.

"Fuck, it's almost empty," Jared called as his brother rooted around in the freezer.

"Yessss! She thought ahead. Here," Jacob replied as he handed Jared a brand new gallon of ice cream.

"Dude, if we take that, they'll know we were here," Jared protested.

"Dumbass, they're gonna know we were here anyway because Alice knows, and you know that she tells Ma everything," Jacob reminded.

As the two were about to sneak out of the house, they heard the deck door open and heard Edward humming as he came inside, catching them just before they could slip out. "Freeze. Where you going with a gallon of ice cream? You're not gonna dump that on someone's car or anything, right?" Edward asked quietly. They both appreciated his discretion, even if they didn't appreciate his question. They knew that their history gave him every reason to worry over their intentions, but in their minds, they hadn't done anything questionable…in a while.

"No, we're at the Vaughn's, and they've got cones, so we're supplyin' the ice cream. Alice is there," Jared responded with a plea in his voice for Edward not to alert their mother.

"Ah. Well, mind your manners. Tomorrow morning, the three of us are gonna go out for breakfast, I think," Edward told them as he tossed his phone on the counter.

It was then that Jacob had an idea. "Sounds great. Not too early, right?" he asked quietly.

Edward laughed. "No, trust me, it won't be early. See ya later," he told them as he grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses, returning to the deck where their mother was waiting for him.

Jacob grabbed the cell phone and scrolled through Edward's contacts until he found what he wanted. He pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen, writing down the number, and then he replaced the phone where it was. He folded the paper and put it in his pocket, and turned to his brother. "I've got an idea. Let's go."

That was all Jared needed to hear. The two were out the door and down the block, Jacob explaining to Jared how they could seize the opportunity to see the Vaughn twins in bikinis before the week was through. Jared declared Jacob the brains of the operation while he was the looks, and when they hit the bell at the Vaughn house, they were happy to see Alice answer.

"We've got a deal for you…" Jacob began in a whisper.

\\\

_**E/N: Well, I'd apologize for the cliffie, but I'm anxious to hear your thoughts. We met the Vaughn girls, so let me hear from ya!**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: Happy Friday! Thank you for your reviews and rec's and support of the story. I truly appreciate it.**_

_**Thanks to Scorpio11 who beta's this bad boy. I'm the prez of her fanclub!**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No infringement by me.**_

_**I'll give you a head's up…this chapter is a tough one to get through because it deals with…Sam. I'd like to say it's such a far-fetched storyline that it never happens, but unfortunately, that's not the case. **_

_**\\\**_

18.

##

"Bye, guys. I'll call you," Alice called to Edward and Bella as they sat on the deck enjoying a bottle of Pinot.

"Okay, Alice. Bye," they called back. Bella looked inside and saw Jacob and Jared in the living room about to play a video game, and she longed for just another hour of alone time with Edward.

He'd been telling her about his week as his hands groped her indecently, and she was ready to go to bed, but it was only 8:00 PM. She knew it would be suspicious to the twins if they turned in that early.

"So, your sons and I are going to go to breakfast in the morning. I need to finish my discussion with them, especially now that two girls have moved into the neighborhood. I'd ask you to come along, but that will be counterproductive, I think," Edward told her.

"Don't you have to work tomorrow?" Bella asked.

"I'm only going in for half a day. I know you've been burning the midnight oil, so I'm sure you'll go in early, but I really need to talk to them," Edward told her as he kissed her neck, causing her body to go from a low simmer to a rapid boil.

"Why? Did something happen?" Bella asked warily. She knew in her gut that the "Self-Help" kit Edward had given them would put ideas in their heads, and just as she was about to take him to task, he smiled.

"No, nothing's happened…yet. That's what tomorrow is about. I need to talk to them about respect and boundaries and age-appropriate behavior. It'll be one of those '_do as I say, not as I do_' discussions, but I think they need it. So, when are your parents leaving for the lake?" Edward asked as he waggled his eyebrows.

"Saturday, I think. Then, next Friday, we'll drive up for the weekend, and then all of us will come home on Sunday. Carlisle's closing the office, and I'll be in training, but I think we'll be able to squeeze in a lot of alone-time during the week while the boys are gone," she promised as she played with the back of his hair.

"Okay, then Saturday night, I'm taking you on a proper date. We'll go to Port Angeles for dinner, and maybe stop somewhere and listen to some music for a while. How's that sound?" Edward asked with his lips planted on her neck.

At that moment, he could have invited her to a monster-truck rally or a tractor pull and she'd have agreed. She was glad it was a romantic date, but she'd go anywhere he wanted. He definitely had her wrapped around his little finger.

"Sounds…_gah_…great," she gasped as he moved to her collar bone, having nudged her blouse aside. He was running his hot tongue along the bone, and it was driving her crazy.

Just as she was about to suggest that they turn in early and say that they're going to watch television in the bedroom, Jake stepped out onto the deck with his Volt Bolt in his hand. "Sorry to bug you, but it's Dad," he told her with a look of uneasiness on his face.

She took the phone and braced herself. As she moved to get off of Edward's lap, he wrapped his arms around her to hold her in place, and when she looked at him, he cocked an eyebrow.

"Thanks, Jake. Hello?" she answered as she watched Jacob walk inside. He hadn't looked too excited to finally hear from his father, and it caused her concern regarding what Sam may have said to the boy. She wasn't happy to hear from Sam either, and she had no idea how he'd gotten Jake's number, but he was on the phone, and she was anxious to find out what he had to say.

"Hey, Bella. Who's Edward Masen?" Sam asked with venom in his voice.

"He's…he's…how do you know about Edward? Did the boys call you?" she asked nervously.

"Well, whoever he is, he sent me a FedEx with a phone and a nasty-ass note that I should call my kids. I don't need fucking charity, Bella, and I don't need some bastard telling me how to treat _my_ kids. Is he a lawyer? Is this your angle? You're gonna take me back to court and bitch that I don't take care of my kids so you can garnish my wages," Sam snapped.

She looked at Edward with questioning eyes, which caused him to grab the phone and hit the speaker button, handing the phone back to her and nodding for her to continue. Apparently, he wanted to know what Sam had to say, and she most certainly wasn't looking forward to his reaction.

"Sam, I promise you, I'm not angling at anything, okay? You _should_ take care of your kids. Hell, I'm happy to even hear you acknowledge them as _your_ kids, but if Edward sent you the phone to call the boys, it's not because I'm going to come after you for more support. You know, you haven't even called them in weeks? You have to know that without sending me child support, things are tight for us, but you could still call your sons and talk to them," she snapped at him.

"I'm fucking doing the best I can, okay? Emily had to quit working because she almost lost the baby, so it's just me, and I have to pay someone to come in to take care of her and Leah. I don't have a fucking penny to spare, okay? You don't understand…" Sam began.

It wasn't really anything new to her. Everything was about him, and she could only roll her eyes at his bullshit.

Before she knew what was happening, Edward grabbed the phone and began speaking. "Sam, its Edward Masen. Did you know that Bella's house burned down, and they lost everything? Did you even bother to try to contact your sons to see what they're doing for the summer since you ditched them? Your parents live not far from here, don't they? How come _they_ never call? I'll tell ya what. You sign a paper that relinquishes any rights you have to the boys, and you'll never have to hear from any of us again. They already feel like they don't have a dad. Why not make it official? I'll get a lawyer to prepare the papers, and all you gotta do is sign 'em," Edward demanded, much to her surprise.

"_Edward!_ He's their father," Bella shrieked at his bold statement.

"Who the fuck are _you_?" Sam snapped over the line.

"Babe, he's a sperm donor. It's time we all acknowledged it and moved on," Edward told her as he kissed her cheek, seeing the tears in her eyes.

"I'm the man who wants to be a father to your sons. I'll send the papers, you sign 'em, and you're off the hook. You can go take care of your new family and never look back. Trust me, you're not missed around here," Edward told him, causing Bella to sob.

By then, the boys had stepped out on the deck, and she tried to grab the phone from him to disconnect the call because she didn't want them to hear the conversation.

"Send 'em. And, good fuckin' luck," Sam called before the line went dead.

Bella looked at the boys and saw tears in their eyes. "You guys…" she began as she rose from Edward's lap and hugged her giant sons.

"That son-of-a-bitch. God, how'd you get hooked up with him?" Jacob complained, looking at her with tears streaming down his face. If he was crying, she couldn't even look at Jared.

"Guys, sit down," Edward suggested.

The three Uleys sat down at the table, drying their tears and looking at Edward. Bella hoped he could say something that would soothe them because their father had hurt them so much over the years…forget about their paternal grandparents. She didn't want them hurt again.

"I'm sorry you heard that, but I think that you two are mature enough to see the situation for what it is. Your dad, well, his priorities have shifted, and it's not because of you, okay? It's because of his fucked-up logic, but that's not your fault. You two did absolutely nothing wrong, and neither did your mom. Sometimes things happen to us that we can't control, and this happens to be one of those situations.

"It's really unfair to you, but it's time the four of us actually have this discussion. I haven't talked to your mom about any of this, and she might just kick me in the balls, but here's what I'm thinking. At any time, your dad could try to come here and take you away from your mom. The fact that we're living together without being married wouldn't go in her favor, and I know that it's a gamble that she doesn't want to take, right Bella?" Edward asked.

She looked at him and saw the sincerity in his face, though she had no idea what was going through his head. She was quite concerned with the direction the conversation was taking, but with what her sons had just heard from their father, she prayed Edward had something to say that would give them some sort of comfort. She knew they were hurt, and it broke her heart, but it wasn't really a surprise to her. It was the way Sam had always behaved, and it was what caused her to finally leave him.

"I'd die if he tried to take you away," Bella whispered to them, trying to stem the flow of tears.

"You guys are young men. You're not little boys, so I know I can talk to you man-to-man. I want you guys in my life for the _rest_ of _my_ life. I want to watch you grow up, and hopefully be a good influence on you, and I want the four of us to make a life _together_. I've made that known. I want you to think about this, all of you. At some point in time, I want to marry your mom. Bella, don't panic. After that happens, I'd like to adopt you two. If your father signs over his parental rights, he can never come after your mom to take you, and when we all feel like the time is right, it would make adoption a lot easier," Edward explained.

Bella saw his logic, and it had merit, but in her mind, it was far too soon to think of such things, much less offer them to her sons. She wasn't going to let Sam hurt them, and she definitely wasn't going to set them up to be hurt by Edward.

"Dude, you'd want to adopt us? Aren't you too young for that? I mean, you know, no offense," Jared offered. Bella looked at him and saw him drying his tears. She also saw hope in his eyes, and it worried her.

"Hell, I'd do it tomorrow if I thought I could talk your mom into marriage, but I'm afraid that's gonna take some time. I hope she won't jerk me around too long, but that's all I've thought about while I was in Portland. I didn't know how we'd make it work, but after the conversation with you dad tonight, I think it's meant to be," Edward told them with an easy smile which warmed her heart and actually made her think that the dreams he wove were possibilities. She hadn't had that kind of hope in a long time.

"Guys, Edward and I…" Bella began.

"Yes, we need to talk, but this isn't _just_ about us, honey. This is about them as well. I want you guys to think about this, and we'll talk again. In the meantime, tomorrow, while your mom and I are at work, get on-line and start looking at Pop Warner football camps. I know you guys like football, and I think there are camps in early August. Find one that's nearby, and we'll get you signed up. We've gotta think about the fall. Are you guys okay?" Edward asked, looking around the table at the three of them.

"Um, yeah, I guess," Jared responded.

"Fuck him," Jacob snapped as he dried his tears.

"Jacob," Bella warned.

"I know you hate the salty talk, babe, but in this instance, I actually have to agree with Jake. Fuck him," Edward commented as he rose from his chair and walked over to where the twins were sitting. He pulled them up from their chairs and put his arms around their shoulders, kissing each of them on the top of their heads. It touched her so deeply that she couldn't breathe for a moment.

Their own father had never done it to her knowledge, and when they wrapped their arms around him, she knew in her heart that it was right. She knew that finally, her sons, who were so loving and deserving of love in return, would have a man they could look up to and be proud to call "Dad."

##

After the boys went to bed, Edward and Bella walked up the stairs to their room. They closed and locked the door, and then Edward slowly removed her blouse and skirt. He kissed every inch of new flesh that was revealed, and when he gently laid her on the bed, he was eager to find himself inside her. He knew, however, that slow and gentle was the order of the night because he wanted to show her how much he loved her and how important she was to him. He also wanted to make certain that she understood that he meant everything he'd told her and her sons.

He couldn't prolong foreplay, due to the week alone, so he pulled her on top of him, and when he found himself inside her, he let go of all the tension in his body that the night had brought. When he looked into her eyes, he saw tears, so he stopped all movement and sat up, pulling her close to him.

"Sweetheart, we don't have to make love. I'm sorry. It's probably really insensitive of me in light of the shit that happened tonight," he told her as he tried to move her off of him. Holding her could be enough.

"No! That's not it. It's just that…well, I never thought I'd meet a man like you, and I have a hard time believing that you're real. I mean, I know you wouldn't have made those statements if you didn't believe them…_sniff_…and it's just a bit overwhelming. Please, make love to me," she told him.

He looked into her eyes and kissed her softly. "I meant all of it and so much more that I didn't say. I love you," he told her as the two began to move against each other slowly, enjoying the feeling of reconnecting. Far too soon, the movement was frantic, and first Edward then Bella found the utopia that was release, holding each other close.

Once they'd caught their breath, he lowered her to the mattress and held her close to him. "You do realize that you're never getting rid of me now? Your sons think I'm _da bomb_, as they say," Edward teased.

Bella laughed. "Well, I'm glad one of us is. Now, take a nap, Mr. Masen. I'm not quite done with you yet," she teased. It was perfectly fine with him because he had a lot of time to make up for, and he wasn't one to easily shirk responsibility.

##

At 6:00 AM, Edward felt Bella slip from the bed. He _wanted _to kiss her before she got up, but he found that his body was so spent it wouldn't cooperate, so he could only call, "Hey, you wore me out. Take the car because I'm too tired to take you to work." With that, he rolled over, with much effort, and fell back to sleep.

When he woke at 9:00 AM, he vaguely remembered her kissing him before she left. He did, however, remember her conversation with his dick.

"_Rest up. Tonight, we're going for a marathon. Alice sent a message that the boys are invited over to her house for swimming, so as soon as I get home from work…nakey time. I'll make dinner, and after we eat…you're dessert, Big Guy."_

The memory made him laugh. He climbed from the bed and found a note from her on the nightstand that conveyed the same sentiment that he'd remembered from earlier. He tossed the note into the nightstand and went to the bathroom to shower.

Once he'd finished, he shaved, brushed his teeth, and dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt, remembering that he'd told Bella to take his car. He decided that he and the boys would cab to the diner in the neighborhood, and then he'd send them back by cab and take one to work. He also decided he'd call Bella and see if she could pick him up on her way home.

As he walked down the hallway after he was dressed, he knocked loudly on the doors, and called, "Breakfast." Without waiting, he walked downstairs and poured himself a cup of coffee, grateful that she had made it and left the pot on for him.

He sat down with the paper, and listened, hearing scrambling upstairs. Ten minutes later, he heard the loud footsteps on the stairs that told him the boys who would become his sons at some point in time were ready to go. He grabbed his keys and phone from the counter, and he met them in the hallway. "We need to call a cab," he told them.

Jacob opened the door and walked out, turning back to Edward. "Is somethin' wrong with your car?"

Edward saw it sitting in the driveway, having never parked it in the garage the night before. "Goddammit. She never listens," he cursed, hearing Jared and Jacob laugh.

"Dude, if you don't know that by now, you'll never learn it," Jared replied as they walked toward the car and climbed in.

When they pulled up to "Essie's Diner," a favorite of many people in town, Edward was happy to see that they were still early enough for breakfast, but late enough not to have to wait for a booth.

"Welcome to…well, Edward, you know where you are. Booth or table?" the cute young hostess asked. Edward wracked his brain to try to remember her name, and when that failed, he simply smiled.

"Booth, please," he responded as he watched Jared and Jacob watching _her_ as she led them to an empty booth. It only reiterated to him how important the conversation was, whether he really wanted to have it or not.

Once they were settled and drinks were ordered, Edward looked around, seeing that there weren't really many people sitting near them. He took a minute to gather his thoughts, pretending to peruse the menu, and when he was ready, he closed it and turned to the two boys in front of him.

"Well, how are you guys this morning, I mean, after last night?" he asked as the drinks were delivered. He poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe, and after the three ordered, he turned to them, waiting for answers.

He saw them look at each other, as they tended to do, and then he saw them smile, which set his nerves at ease. "If you were serious, and it wasn't the bottle of wine that you and Mom downed, we're good," Jared told him.

"First, we didn't _down_ a bottle of wine, and I meant every word I said. I don't expect any type of an answer from you, and that's not why I wanted us to go to breakfast. We need to talk about something else," Edward told them, pushing down his nerves.

He had no idea how to really explain male/female intimacy with them, but he knew it needed to be done. Just as he was about to embark on what he believed to be a muddled explanation, he remembered something from his own schooling.

"Have you guys had a health class yet? You know, the one where they take the girls in one room and the boys in another room and explain…um…sex to you?" he asked.

"Um, we have it this year, why?" Jacob asked.

Apparently, word traveled around the elementary school, just as Edward remembered, so he believed that he didn't need to go into the mechanics of the physical act of love at that point in time. What he was going to address with them that day was the behavior that led to physical things, and as he gulped down the coffee and poured another cup, he wasn't exactly sure if he was the best man for the job. When he remembered what their father had told them regarding sex, he determined that he was the _only_ man for the job.

"Okay, we're not going to talk about sex, _per se_. We're going to talk about how to treat women, or in your case, _girls_. I know that you're old enough to know that guys and girls are different in many ways. Physically, well, I don't think I need to point that out. Emotionally, I can tell you from experience that men will never understand women, and women are generally more mature than men, regardless of age. Now, with that being said, there are certain things that a _gentleman_ always remembers, and your mother and I are raising gentlemen. You're already on your way because your mom is a fantastic mother and has taught you very well how to behave. What we're going to talk about is how you deal with girls that you like," he started.

"You _will_ find yourself, at one point in time or another, attracted to a girl. There are certain rules that gentlemen never violate. You treat women with respect, which means that under no uncertain terms do you _ever_ raise your hand to a woman, regardless of what she does or says. You walk away before it gets to that point, do you understand?" he asked, hoping he was hitting home the point…no pun intended. He made a mental note to ask Bella if Sam ever raised a hand to her. If he had, Alaska wasn't far enough away for Edward to get to him.

He saw both boys nod in agreement, which caused him to relax. "Okay. Now, um, when it comes to girls, given your ages, the most I think you could hope for, or should actually strive for in a friendship with a girl would be maybe a kiss on the cheek, or a hug, or maybe holding hands. Anything more than that is inappropriate for you at eleven-years old, and trust me when I say that if I had a daughter and she came home and told me that a boy her own age tried to feel her up, I'd hunt him down and beat his ass. If some dad shows up at our door and says that either one of you touched their daughter inappropriately, you'll have not just your mother to deal with, got it?" Edward asked as their breakfast was delivered.

He saw them swallow deeply, which meant that they were actually listening. He was quite happy about it, and all fears of botching the discussion left him as he cut into his western omelet. He gave them a few minutes to eat, and then he decided it was time to hit home the most important point that he wanted to get across that morning.

He laid down his utensils and took a sip of coffee. He looked at them hoping he was conveying how serious he was with his next statement. "If you take nothing else away from this conversation, and this is a conversation, not an order, so if you have questions, I wanna hear 'em. Anyway, when a girl says the words '_no_' or '_stop_', you step back. Don't listen to your idiot friends who say that when a girl says '_no_' it's just because she thinks that's the respectable thing to do. If a girl ever tells you '_no_' or tells you to stop doing whatever it is you're doing, I expect you to immediately stop. Trust me when I say it will be hard sometimes, but it's what I expect from you, do you understand?" he asked as he picked up his utensils.

He wasn't setting out to be a hard ass. He simply wanted to give them boundaries that his own father had given him that had served him well, and he was looking at them as his sons, so he was determined to instill the same sensibilities in them that had been taught to him.

"Wait, so when Mom told you that she didn't want to date you, you didn't stay away," Jake mentioned as he dug into his pancakes.

Edward thought about it, and decided that he needed to make the distinction between relationships… emotional and physical.

"Yeah, that's a different thing. See, when you have a _relationship_ with someone, like your mom and I have, that's different than physical. Your mom didn't want to date me because she was scared and I was younger, so that's a discussion for another time. I just want you to understand the physical stuff for right now because, honestly, that's going to be what guides you for several years. Now, do you have anything you wanna ask me?" Edward asked as he finished his breakfast and poured more coffee, allowing them to ponder for a moment.

After they finished and pushed their plates away. Jared looked at him and asked, "Why'd you pick our mom?"

He thought about the question for a moment and saw that there was only one answer…the truth. "Your mother is the most beautiful woman I've ever set eyes on. Now, I don't think you see her the way I do, but she's absolutely stunning. I showed up at the hospital after she broke her shoulder because I couldn't get her out of my head, and after that, I was sunk. I got to know her, and I fell in love with her for a lot more reasons than just because I think she's physically beautiful. She's also beautiful on the inside. You guys, well, you were just a bonus," he told them, seeing them laugh at him.

"Hey you laugh, but when you meet _the one,_ you'll be set on our asses. That's exactly what your mom did to me. After I saw her in the yard on her back when she broke her shoulder, I went home, and I couldn't stay away. Now, maybe part of that was because I was looking for your asses after you egged my car, but after I saw your mom, hell, it was simple to me," he told them as he thought about the first time he saw Bella…really saw Bella. She was gorgeous, and he knew that he probably lost his heart to her when she fainted in the hospital and he caught her before she hit the floor.

"So, you love our mom. Have you ever loved any other girl?" Jacob asked as he finished his orange juice. Edward gave his question a minute's thought, and the answer was quite easy.

"I've had relationships with other women, but I've never been in love before. Your mom, hell, she's my first and last. So, anything else?" he asked. He saw them shake their heads, and after he paid the check, he took them home and then went to the office.

He was quite pleased about the way the conversation had progressed, and he sent Bella a text to the same affect.

_Had breakfast with the boys. I think we're on the right path. Love you lots – E_

He settled into mopping up the business with Volt and thinking about how to rope the next client. He had no idea where it would come from, but he was looking for opportunities. In his mind, he had college funds to worry about and possibly a bigger house with a pool. He was a family man, whether anyone else knew it or not, and he was going to be responsible about it. He looked forward to shouldering the responsibility. It was exactly what he wanted.

##

Angela Weber walked down the hallway of The Cullen Medical Group, which wasn't really a group because it was comprised of only Carlisle, and she heard sobbing. She'd only intended to stop at the office to drop off her bag before she went for a run that morning, but when she saw the lights on in the break room and freshly made coffee, she knew she needed to investigate.

She followed the sound to Bella's small office, and gently knocked. She heard nose blowing and a quiet, "Come in," from inside, so she opened the door to see her friend red-eyed and runny nosed. She slipped inside and sat down in the chair across from the desk, and she looked to Bella for an explanation.

"Hi. Sorry to interrupt, but what the hell is wrong? Are the boys okay? Is it your mom or the chief?" Angela asked nervously.

"No, no. Everyone's fine. It's just me being stupid. You don't want to hear about my problems, Ang," Bella replied.

"Bella, how long have we been friends?" Angela asked.

She watched Bella do the math in her head, and she smiled. "Well, almost six years now," Bella responded.

"Exactly. When I broke up with Stefan, whose couch did I sleep on until I could get a place? And, let me remind you, you had to put up with my crying ass every night for two weeks," Angela reminded.

"He was a prick and didn't deserve you," Bella commented. Angela laughed because the night she'd shown up at Bella's old apartment with all of her clothes in a large garbage bag, Bella had taken her in without question, and had told her the exact same thing.

"So, who's being a prick to _you_? Turnabout's fair play," Angela told her.

She saw Bella smile a little, and then begin to spill her guts. "Last night…"

Angela listened to the whole story, nodding and cursing where appropriate when Bella told her about Sam's behavior from the night before and what Edward had told her regarding his desire to marry her and eventually adopt the twins.

How a parent could be so cruel to their own children, Angela didn't know, but she wasn't surprised at what Bella had told her about Edward's intentions. She'd been around him several times, and she could tell he was a kind man, and if he was anything like his sister, Esme, Angela knew he'd treat the Uley family well.

"Okay, so why the tears? I'd think you'd be thrilled about his plans. I mean, it's obvious he loves you, and I can tell how much your boys mean to him, so what's got you so worried?" Angela asked.

"It's just that, we haven't been together for very long, and if he changes his mind, my sons are going to be let down by not just one father-figure, but two. I'm not saying that Edward would hurt them intentionally, but Ang, you thought that you and Stefan were going to get married, and then he told you that he wasn't ready for anything serious and basically kicked you out. What if that happens with Edward?" Bella asked her.

Angela thought about what Bella had mentioned, and while she agreed that one could never know how the future would unfold, something about Edward and Bella gave her faith that good things did actually come when they were least expected.

"Well, there are no guarantees, but…if you cut this guy loose now without allowing him to prove to you that he's in it for the long haul, you'll live with regret and wonder if you walked away from the best thing that ever happened to you. Either way, you guys are in it too deep for anyone to walk away unscathed, so maybe for once, you put some faith in a man and don't walk around looking for signs that he's getting ready to bolt," Angela suggested.

It was the best advice she had, and she truly hoped her friend would take it. Angela never professed to have any sort of sixth sense about things, but in her gut, she had a good feeling about Bella and Edward Masen.

\\\

_**E/N: So, yeah…Sam's a dick. I don't think anyone will dispute that, and unfortunately, he's not the first guy to duck out on taking care of his kids. So, what do you think? How about that discussion Edward had with the boys at the diner? Can't wait to hear from you.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! I can't believe we're over 400! Love you all!**_

_**Scorpio11 – I must be getting better, or I'm just wearing you down! Thanks again for your betaing skillz!**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No infringement intended.**_

_**Well, let's see what those Bandits are up to…**_

_**\\\**_

19.

##

When Bella walked out of work that Tuesday afternoon, she had a new perspective regarding the events of the prior night. She believed that Angela was correct in her advice that Bella spent too much time waiting for Edward to let her down, and she wasn't going to waste another precious second looking for signs that he was pushing her away. She was going to grab onto the happiness and security he offered and hold it like a lifeline. After all, it really was a lifeline to her.

She started walking toward the bus stop at the end of the street, and when she heard a whistle from a car that had stopped next to her, she sped her pace. Forks, Washington, was not a hotbed of criminal activity, but no place was one-hundred percent safe. Her shoulder was well on the mend, and she wasn't looking to injure herself again fighting off an attacker.

"Hey, baby, you want a ride?" she heard yelled at her from the driver's side of the car. She glanced to the side and saw that it was Edward's car, and she laughed.

"Hmm. You looking for a date for the night, sailor?" she teased as she slowly walked over to the passenger side of the car and bent down, gazing into the open window to see Edward sitting behind the wheel looking all kinds of yummy in a pair of khaki slacks and a blue dress shirt.

"Well, depends. How much for the night?" he responded with a laugh.

"Oh, so you think I look like a hooker? Your personal shopper picked out this dress I'll have you know," she joked, enjoying the banter very much.

"Baby, if you were a hooker, I'd surrender the contents of my bank account for one night with you. Get in, honey. Alice sent me a text earlier that she took the boys over to her house for a swim and dinner. She also happens to have the Vaughn twins with her. That means we've got the house to ourselves, and I believe I recall something about a marathon. Actually, now that I think about it, I've got it in writing in my nightstand drawer," he told her, making her heart speed a bit. She climbed into the car and leaned over to peck him on the lips.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods?" she asked as she buckled her seatbelt. They hadn't driven half a mile before the sky opened up and rain poured down as if from buckets.

"See, just in time. I thought I told you to take my car this morning? I was prepared to cab it today. How was your day?" he asked as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles, making her tingle all over.

"I didn't take the car because you were taking the boys for breakfast and then going into the office. I have no problem taking the bus," she told him as they headed home.

"I'd like to talk to you about something. Um, we need another car. Now hear me out before you get upset. You're going to be working a lot of hours over the rest of the week and next, and I honestly don't like you taking the bus so much. Plus, the boys are going to go to soccer camp at the end of July, so they'll need a ride to and from the soccer fields, and we both need to be able to pick them up or take them. The Pop Warner league starts the two weeks before school starts, and that's right before the rollout for Volt, so I'll be busy and you'll have to take them. Your truck, well, I'm not sorry that it burned up in the fire, but you need a car," Edward explained.

She knew he was right, but with everything he was doing for her, she just couldn't accept it. She didn't have a lot of money saved because she'd been catching up on bills as she could, and any extra money she had would be needed for school clothes and to pay for the camps that Edward had set up. There was no room in her checkbook for a car payment.

"I know I do, and I'm going to start looking for a used car. Luckily, their bikes were at your house the day of the fire, so they can use them to get to practices. Trust me…they're used to riding those bikes around. I can have Mom help out with the loan of her car to me if I need it. Right now, I just can't swing a car payment, and if the next words out of your mouth are remotely suggestive that you'll buy me one, I will nut-punch you right here," she threatened.

She saw the smirk on his face, and she laughed. "Okay, love. As you wish. Just making an observation," he replied, giving in far too easily in Bella's opinion.

"Nuh-uh. That was too easy. I know you well enough to know that you'd never give in that easily," she surveyed, seeing him laugh.

"Oh, that was just the first pass. I want to do nothing to piss you off tonight because I believe the boys will be gone for about two hours. I plan to tire you out quite thoroughly in that amount of time, and I doubt a punch to my junk would allow me to carry out my plans," he told her with a wink.

She laughed. She should have known it was something of the sort, and she also knew it wasn't the last time they'd have the talk. But, she had a secret weapon that he'd just tipped her off to…if she wanted to get her way with him, or stop him from getting his way, sex was the answer.

After a quick trip to the store to pick up orange juice and milk for the next morning, they pulled into the driveway, and Edward quickly opened the garage door, pulling the car inside. He grabbed the bags and hopped out of the car, walking around to her side and opening the door as she was removing her seatbelt.

Once she was on her feet, he pulled her into a hard kiss which quickly softened and became more passionate, once again sending her heart and mind in the direction of the bedroom. She pulled away and smiled. "Let's not waste time here in the garage unless you're going to fuck me on the hood of your car," she teased as she headed toward the house, hearing the television through the door. She was going to have to scold the boys for leaving it on, but that could wait for later.

"On the hood of my car? Hell, I hadn't even thought of that. You _are_ a worthy adversary, Mrs. Uley," he called behind her as he slapped her on the ass, causing her to laugh as she walked into the kitchen. Seeing a young girl in a bikini top and shorts at the stove flipping grilled cheese sandwiches on the griddle quickly soured her mood.

She stopped dead in her tracks, and only when Edward ran into her, did she snap out of her shock. "Um, excuse me. Who are you?" she asked the girl. When she turned to look in the direction of where Bella and Edward were standing, Bella knew immediately who it was. The girl had long dark hair, and bright hazel eyes. She had braces, as Bella was able to see based on the smile on her face, and it didn't take her long to figure out that the girl was obviously one of the Vaughn girls from down the street.

"Hi. You must be Jared's mom and Mr. Masen. I'm Kim Vaughn. Would you like a grilled cheese? The boys were hungry," the girl shared as she pulled more bread from the loaf and began to butter it.

"Holy shit," Bella heard Edward whisper behind her. Oh, she knew exactly to what he was referring. The girl was stunning, and she had the body of a seventeen-year old. It was no wonder her sons spent so much time at the end of the block.

"Uh, no, we're fine, thanks. Where _is_ Jared?" Bella asked as another girl who was a bit taller than Kim walked in. She looked a lot like Kim, but they weren't identical. The other girl's hair was wavy, and her eyes were blue, but she had the same smile as Kim.

"He and Jake are playing Wii. Hi. I'm Vanessa," the girl introduced, extending her hand to Bella. Bella snapped out of her daze and shook the girl's hand, trying to hide her disbelief. Vanessa was built just as great as her sister, Kim, and it appeared that both girls were quite outgoing. How they'd drawn her sons out of their shells, Bella didn't know.

"Vanessa, it's nice to meet you. I'm Ms. Uley, and this is Mr. Masen. I thought you and the boys were going swimming," Bella replied.

"Oh, that. Um, you might want to talk to them about it. Dr. Cullen brought us here after the fighting started. Our parents are still at work, and Jake said he didn't know what time you would get home, so when they mentioned they were hungry, we volunteered to make them sandwiches," Vanessa offered as she began scouting through the kitchen cabinets, pulling out plates and potato chips.

Kim placed four sandwiches on a plate and then placed two more sandwiches on the griddle without hesitation.

"If you'll just excuse us? I'd say make yourselves at home, but it seems you already have," Bella remarked, which caused Edward to pinch her on the ass. It might have been a bit bitchier than she'd wanted it to be, but she was in shock at the scene before her, so she didn't feel she was responsible for what came out of her mouth.

She and Edward walked into the living room to find the boys playing some sort of combat game. She could see that they were in their swim trunks and t-shirts, so she was pretty sure that they hadn't been home very long because they hadn't yet changed.

She walked around the couch and stood between them and the television with her arms crossed over her chest and an arched eyebrow. "Ma, can you…_Oh_, you're home. Uh, we thought you were working late," Jake remarked, suddenly appearing nervous.

"Oh, I see that you _did_. Well, clearly, you thought wrong," Bella snapped, not trying to hold her voice down at all. She was fuming mad, though she wasn't exactly sure at whom.

She didn't know if she was mad that two strangers had taken over her kitchen, if she was mad because the boys had somehow wrangled an invitation to take the girls to Carlisle and Esme's house without her knowledge, or if she was mad because Carlisle had simply dropped off four teenagers…or two teenagers and two almost teenagers…at the house and left them unsupervised.

"Um, let's not lose our heads. Guys, I think your friends have your dinner ready. Why don't you go eat and then walk them home? Come right back and then explain to us what happened, okay? I thought we had an understanding after breakfast this morning," Edward told them as he flipped off the power on the television.

"Dude, we've been complete gentlemen, just like you told us, okay? It's really not our fault," Jacob began defending them. Bella could tell he wasn't exactly lying, but he wasn't exactly telling them the whole truth either based on the way his eyes were shifting toward his brother trying to garner his support.

"Let us be the judge of that. Go on. Your mom and I are going to change, and then we'll all sit down and talk about this," Edward instructed them. Bella was glad that he was so even-tempered about it because she was about to lose it.

Before Bella had the opportunity to add her two cents, Vanessa showed up at the door and called, "Jakey, dinner's ready." She saw both of her sons drop the controllers on the coffee table and dart for the kitchen. She was about to follow them when Edward grabbed her around the waist and carried her upstairs, laughing the whole way.

Once inside the bedroom, he closed the door and put her on her feet. "Deep breaths, Mama Bear. I told you that your sons are growing up. Maybe you'll see that I know more than you think when it comes to the ways of the average teenage boy. I talked to them this morning at breakfast about age-appropriate behavior and respect, and I'd say we give them the benefit of the doubt until we have a reason not to," Edward suggested as he began unbuttoning his dress shirt.

"Jesus H., did you see those girls? I think Kim's boobs are bigger than _mine_," Bella commented as she walked into the closet to hang her dress and grab a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. What she really wanted was a large glass of wine, or maybe a few shots of tequila, but those things would have to wait. At that point, she needed answers. Answers that two hormonal eleven-year-olds were going to supply when they got back home.

"No way. I'm not walking anywhere near that landmine. I love your boobs, and they're the only ones I see. That's all I'm _ever_ going to say on the matter," Edward replied. Bella looked in his direction and saw him shaking his head, and she laughed.

She hadn't meant to set him up with a loaded question, and she was actually impressed that he hadn't stepped into the hole she'd inadvertently dug for him. He was a very smart man.

After they changed clothes, the two of them walked downstairs, finding the kitchen nearly sparkling. "At least they cleaned up after themselves," Edward commented as he went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of wine for the two of them.

"Oh, yeah, _that's_ the concern here. Aren't farm girls supposed to be…" Bella began.

"Um, you do remember the story of the farmer's daughter, right? Also, how do we know that the Vaughns are farmers? Are you making the assumption simply because they lived in Iowa?" Edward asked with a laugh.

"Their older brother just graduated from high school and is staying at their grandparents' farm until sometime in July. Lord, they grow 'em right in Iowa," Bella remarked as she sipped from the glass of wine Edward offered her.

"Let's go sit outside. At least it stopped raining," he suggested. She nodded in agreement and grabbed a towel from the laundry basket to dry the chairs and table. She was ready to hear whatever explanation the boys had for what she and Edward had walked into in their home, and she had no idea how she was going to deal with maturing sons. She prayed that somewhere, a divinity would lend her guidance because in that moment, she was clueless.

##

"Your mom kinda seemed pissed," Kim remarked to Jared as the four of them slowly walked down the street to their house. Jared was holding her hand and reciting his soccer stats in his head to keep himself in check. It was the best torture he'd ever endured.

"She's just not used to somebody else cookin' in her kitchen. She'll be fine. Look, um, we gotta go campin' with our grandparents next week, but we'll be back the Sunday after the Fourth. If Alice isn't in too much trouble, we'll try the whole swim thing again," Jake announced as he held Vanessa's hand.

"Alice's parents seemed pretty mad. Do you think she'll really be grounded until she turns eighteen?" Kim asked.

"It's only a coupla weeks. I just hope she doesn't runaway like she said," Jared responded.

The day had contained its fair share of ups and downs. Alice had stopped over at noon to hang out with them while they cut four lawns that early afternoon, and then at 3:00 PM, she announced that they should get ready to go. She'd walked down the street and talked to the girls about the swim date, and they'd called their stepmom, obtaining permission after Alice had talked to the woman on the phone and assured her that she would be around all evening. She'd told Jane Vaughn who her parents were, and after a discussion regarding the location of the Cullens' home, Jane had agreed that the girls could go along.

When they'd arrived at the Cullens' home, Alice had made a pitcher of tea and sent the girls upstairs to her room to change into their bathing suits. When they were out of earshot, she turned to the twins and demanded, "Okay, give me one of your phones. I called Jasper's new number, and he won't answer, so I need a number that he won't recognize. I've lived up to my end of the deal, and I'll try to find stuff to do to give you time alone with the girls, but you two behave like gentlemen. No groping or kissing, got it?" she'd threatened. The boys had nodded in agreement because they'd only planned to get the girls in bikinis. After _that_ happened, they had no idea what to do.

The three hours that they'd swam and played volleyball in the pool had been heaven for the boys. They'd strategized to put the girls at the shallow end of the pool so as to be able to stare at their boobs, and it had worked perfectly.

Little did they know that when Esme and Carlisle returned home, Alice would announce that she was flying to Arizona to be with Jasper. The shouting and cursing that had occurred among the three Cullens on the pool deck, coupled with the storm clouds, had put the kibosh on the rest of the evening's plans, and when Esme and Alice got into a screaming match, Carlisle quickly determined that it was time for him to take the boys and girls home.

Once he'd pulled into Edward's driveway, Kim and Vanessa had announced that they'd forgotten their house keys, so Jacob and Jared had suggested that they just stay at their house until the girls' parents returned from work. Carlisle hadn't been supportive of the idea until they told him that they expected Edward and their mother home within the hour, and they planned to play soccer in the backyard if it didn't rain.

Carlisle agreed, with a comment to Jake and Jared, "I know you know how to behave. If I hear anything from your mother that you two weren't gentlemen, you'll be cutting my lawn for two weeks for free, got it?" Both boys had nodded in agreement because, to them, it was an uncharacteristic comment from the doctor, so they took it at face value.

They were going to be gentlemen as Edward and Carlisle had suggested, but they weren't going to play soccer. Getting the girls into the house away from the prying eyes of the neighbors was the order of the day, and they wouldn't stop until they had them alone. When the quick shower began, they were relieved that they didn't actually have to plot or scheme to get them inside.

Everything was going well until their mom and Edward had come home, and they could tell that their mom was really pissed. They'd have to strategize on the way home to keep themselves out of hot water, that was all there was to it.

"Well, we had fun for a while. When do you guys leave?" Vanessa asked Jacob. She'd grabbed his other hand and was facing him, which caused him to breath heavy like he'd run drills during football season.

"Um, actually, Saturday morning early. We'll be around the rest of this week, though," Jacob had told her.

"Oh, good. Maybe we can get together tomorrow? We'll make lunch at our house, if you can come over. You sure your mom's not mad?" Vanessa inquired. Jacob watched her mouth as she spoke, and the desire to kiss her was driving him crazy.

"Um, she'll be fine. We'll call ya tomorrow, okay?" Jacob asked.

"Cool. Night," Vanessa called as she squeezed his hands and then pulled away. His hands still felt like they were holding hers, and he was riding a high that he'd never felt before.

Meanwhile, Jared was in hell. Well, maybe not hell, but some sort of torment. Kim was batting her eyelashes at him and smiling, and it was making him feel funny all over. Just as she was standing on her tip toes to kiss him, the front door opened, and he turned to see a blonde woman with a very large chest standing on the front porch.

"Oh, you must be Jake and Jared. Well, it was so nice of your cousin to invite the girls over for a swim. We'll have to reciprocate as soon as we get the pool squared away. I look forward to meeting your parents," Mrs. Vaughn called. Both boys turned to her and saw that she looked nothing like the girls …well, except for the fact that she had a large chest. The woman was as small as their mother and had short blonde hair. She had light blue eyes, and pale skin, where the girls were more tanned like them.

"Um, sure. We'll, uh, see you later," Jake called to the three women on the porch as he grabbed Jared by the arm to head up the street. The thoughts in his head weren't any he wanted their mother to catch on to, so it was best to leave.

As the brothers walked back up the street, Jared looked at Jake and said, "So, how pissed is Mom gonna be?"

"Dude, I have no idea, but I think Edward's on our side. He seems to be able to talk her down, so we gotta make sure that we don't piss him off," Jacob remarked.

"He ain't gonna be too happy about the fact that you gave Jasper's number to Alice. All that shit that went down, you know Mrs. C's gonna tell him. I don't know how much on our side he'll be when he hears how you bribed Alice to set up the swim date by giving her Jasper's number. I think we're fucked," Jared told him as they stopped in front of the McCarty's house, seeing Emmett in the back yard and waving to him.

"Well, we might as well go see what the hell's gonna happen. Just follow my lead," Jacob told Jared. The two boys climbed the front stairs and let themselves into the house to face the music, not knowing exactly what the tune would be.

##

"Es, calm down," Edward told his sister over the phone. She'd been shrieking at him for five minutes, and he was yet to understand what was going on.

"Calm down? _Calm down? _Your friend, that son-of-a-bitch, told Alice that he couldn't live without her, and he's reserving a ticket for her to Sedona to be with him. I blame you for this, Edward," Esme yelled.

"Me? What the fuck did _I_ do?" he asked, seeing Bella pacing on the deck.

"You brought that man, who is older than _you_ by the way, into my daughter's life, and now the bastard is trying to undermine her future. She says she's not going to college. She's going to travel for a year with _Jasper_ and then she'll re-evaluate everything after that. Edward, I thought you talked to her," Esme snapped.

"Es, I did, and so did Bella. What the hell happened today?" he asked in disbelief. He thought that the Alice-and-Jasper situation had been handled. He had no idea that it had blown up again, and in the back of his head, an idea was coming together that wasn't to his liking.

"Somehow, Alice found Jasper and got him on the phone. She told him she's in love with him, and he told her the same fucking thing. He wants her to come to Sedona for the rest of July, and then in August, they'll go to London because he has a commission there. Alice was planning to call Mom and Dad to see if they could stay at the flat! Do you know what Mom will say to me if that happens?" Esme screamed at him.

He really didn't appreciate the yelling, but until the two marauders returned from walking the two objects of their affection home, he couldn't get a good handle on what the hell was going on.

"Es…Esme…Esme Masen Cullen…stop screaming at me. All the hell I did today was go to work, okay? We've got our own shit to deal with here. I'm sorry that Alice is giving you fits, but Bella and I have some issues to take up with Jake and Jared. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I can only handle one problem at a time, and right now, those problems are walking out the deck doors. I'll talk to you later," Edward announced and then turned off the phone.

"_Sit_, now," Bella called to the boys. Edward could see the two of them looking sheepish, and he was anxious to find out what the hell had happened that afternoon. They seemed to have played a key part in a lot of drama, and he was bound and determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Let's all calm down, okay? Guys, what the hell happened after I dropped you off and went to work?" Edward asked.

The two boys explained to him that Alice had shown up at noon, as arranged, and they'd cut the lawns according to schedule. They went on to explain how the girls had gotten invited, claiming it was Alice's idea because she felt sorry that the girls were home alone, and then they began telling the story of what happened when Esme and Carlisle arrived home that afternoon.

"So, we were playing volleyball in the pool and Mrs. C shows up. Alice tells her that she's goin' to Arizona after her birthday to be with Jasper, and Mrs. C throws a fit. They were shouting, and I've gotta tell ya, I never imagined that Mrs. C ever said a cuss word, but they got into a big fight, and when Dr. C got home, the three of them were yelling. It started to cloud up, and he told us to get out of the pool so we did. When Alice told them that she was goin' whether they liked it or not, and they couldn't tell her what to do because she was gonna be eighteen, Mrs. C grounded her until her birthday, and then Dr. C brought us home. That's all we know," Jacob explained.

Edward saw Jacob looking at Jared for support, and he knew it was only the tip of the iceberg. "As far as I know, I'm the only one who has Jasper's new number. Any idea how Alice got it?" Edward asked with a cocked eyebrow.

He saw Jared shift in his seat, and he knew exactly who to question. Jake was slick with his answers, but Jared wasn't quite so prepared. Jared was the Achilles' heel of the two, and Edward planned to exploit it. It was important to him that Bella see that he could handle the boys because until she had that confidence, he knew she'd never agree to the plans he'd laid out the night before.

"Okay, Jared, how'd the girls end up here, cooking you two dinner?" he asked pointedly, not moving his eyes from the boy's. He noticed that Jared seemed uncomfortable, and he knew who would break first.

"Um, well, Dr. C dropped us off, and we, uh, we told him…shit. Okay, Jake gave Alice Jasper's number in exchange for her invitin' the girls to go swimming. We had no idea that Alice would threaten to run away, okay? We just wanted to spend time with the girls, and Jake…no we…thought that if Alice was with us, nobody would get mad. We didn't do anything except play volleyball and swim, and we sure as heck didn't plan to do anything here. We just want to get to know 'em before school starts," Jared confessed.

"I can't _believe_ you two. You know that I'd never approve of the two of you being here with those girls unchaperoned. Hell, I don't even let you turn on the stove, and I come in here tonight and find a girl, half-naked in my kitchen no less, cooking for you? What have you got to say for yourselves?" Bella asked angrily.

Edward prayed that neither of them offered a "yippee" because he was pretty sure his girlfriend would go ape shit over that proclamation. If he was being honest with himself, he was proud of them for their out-of-the-box logic, but he'd never, ever tell that to Bella. No good would _ever_ come of that revelation.

"We didn't do anything except play video games. Ma, you're gonna have to trust us. Edward told us what you guys expect of us, and yeah, maybe it wasn't the best idea to trade Jasper's number for a swim date at the Cullens, but the girls are new to the neighborhood, and let's face it…there's nothin' to do here except work or watch television. We were supervised all afternoon until we got here, and really, do you think we'd be stupid enough to try anything at _our_ house. Apparently, Jared can't keep stuff to himself, so ask him if anything happened," Jacob responded, looking quite exasperated in Edward's opinion.

Edward saw Bella contemplate what Jacob had told her, and he was anxious to hear her response. Despite his young age and ulterior motives, Edward thought Jacob had made some good points, but he wasn't going to get in the way of their mother's wrath.

"God, okay, okay. I believe you, but if Alice ends up running away, I'll take you to the Cullens' house myself and make you explain your part in this, do you hear me? Do _not_ get yourself involved in things that are beyond your years. Now, you guys have a problem because it appears that Alice is grounded, so I don't know how you're going to cut grass this week. I refuse to let you do it without supervision, so what do you think we should do about this?" Bella informed them.

Edward saw the boys lean into each other and whisper for a moment, and then Jake elbowed Jared, who appeared to be the spokesman for the two. "Can we call Grandma 'Nee to come over? When we cut Mr. Lancaster's grass, he comes outside and sits with Alice, so he'll prolly come out and watch us, and the rest of the yards, we can call Grandma to come over. Heck, we'll buy her lunch if she'll come," Jared offered.

Edward looked to Bella and saw that the suggestion was well received, and he let out a held breath. "Fine. Go call and ask her. I don't know what she's got going on now that school's out, but if you can talk her into it, fine. After you get off the phone with her, shower and bed. I'm going up to take a bath. I'm exhausted," Bella called as she rose from the table and grabbed the half bottle of wine. Edward caught the wink she gave him, and as soon as he said his piece to the boys, he had every intention of joining her in the bath.

She walked inside, and just as the door was about to close, he grabbed both boys by the arm. "_We're_ not done. Trust is something I take very seriously. It isn't easily earned, and once broken, it's even harder to regain. _You_ went into my phone and got Jasper's number without my permission. That's broken trust. I don't know how you'll regain mine, but I suggest you figure it out. I'm in your corner on most things, but do _not_ throw me under the bus again. I've got my sister crawling up my ass, and I'm gonna have to go try to talk to Alice again. I suggest you think about the position you've put me in," he told them before he rose from the table and left them alone outside.

He never saw himself as the type of person who would use guilt to get his point across. Liza Masen had been very good at levying guilt when he was growing up, and he swore to himself that he'd never be that person.

In that moment, he felt he owed his mother an apology and vowed to call her the next day. He was quickly learning that with parenting came creative ways of getting your point across. Guilt was one. He just hoped he wouldn't have to use it very often because he felt respect was more important. BUT, if guilt worked, he wouldn't hesitate to employ it.

\\\

_**E/N: Oooooo! I can't wait to read what you think about these turn of events. A lot happened and those boys sure have their junk in the wringer with Eddie…**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! Love you all for your words of support and your funny theories. **_

_**Scorpio11 fixed this up and took a lot of confusion out of it…be grateful that she's helping me. I know I am.**_

_**SMeyer owns Twilight characters. No infringement intended.**_

_**Let's get to the bottom of this Jasper and Alice business, shall we?**_

_**\\\**_

20.

##

"Hey Ed, how are ya?" Jasper answered that Friday morning. Edward had gone to Carlisle and Esme's house on Thursday afternoon and talked to Alice, and she'd basically backed up the boys' story and confirmed…hesitantly…what Esme had told him, but he still felt something was off so the only way to get to the bottom of it was to call Jasper.

"How's the show going?" Edward asked as he paced in his office, not happy about calling his friend to chew out his ass.

"It's good. How's the family?" Jasper asked him, sounding quite happy which only served to further piss off Edward.

"Well, that's kind of why I'm calling. What did you promise my niece? She's told her parents that as soon as she turns eighteen, she's going to Arizona to be with you. She said that you bought her a plane ticket? I thought we talked about this," Edward remarked, waiting for an answer.

"_Whoa_, no way, man. Alice asked _me_ if she could come to visit before she went to college, and I told her that was fine. She said that her parents had bought her a ticket, and she gave me the flight times. I'd planned to pick her up and let her stay with me at my hotel, in _another room_, and I was gonna show her around. I had no plans of doing anything more than being her friend, why?" Jasper asked him.

"Well, she told Esme and Carlisle that she was going to follow you around the world. According to Alice, you two belong together, and she isn't going to college. She said you told her you love her and can't live without her. I thought we were on the same page about this shit, Jasper," Edward told him, repeating the things that Alice had told him when he'd talked to her.

Jasper chuckled. "Seriously? Does that sound like anything I'd _ever_ say? I'm doin' just like you said. I'm givin' the young lady her space, and I'm bidin' my time until she finishes college. If she and I are still in contact then, I'll look at the matter again and talk to you about it, but there's no way that I'm goin' to interfere with her goin' to college. I took what you said to heart, Ed," Jasper told him, which sounded a whole lot more plausible than what Alice had related.

"Do me a favor. If Alice ends up in Sedona anytime soon, call me as soon as you hear from her, will you?" Edward asked. After Jasper agreed, the two hung up.

Edward sat back down at his desk and thought about the situation, scrubbing his hands over his face in frustration. The situations he was dealing with were like nothing he'd ever dealt with in his life, and he truly didn't have any answers.

The only people who weren't affected by the drama, as far as he'd deduced, were his parents, so he picked up the phone to call his father who, in Edward's opinion, was much more even-tempered than his mother.

After three rings, he heard his father answer, "Ted Masen."

"Edward Masen here," he responded with a laugh.

"Hey, son. How's everything going? How are Bella and the boys doing since the fire? I'm sorry we've been out of touch, but we've been busy," his father responded defensively.

"That's fine, but I'm doing something that I haven't done…well…ever. I need advice…a lot of it," Edward began. For the next twenty minutes, he completely unloaded everything going on in his life from dealing with the boys newly found urges and his advice them, to Alice's situation, to the situation with Sam Uley and the parental-rights issue.

He was pleased that his father seemed to listen attentively, agreeing along the way, and when Edward finished with his soliloquy, he waited for any advice his father had to offer.

"So, not much going on, then?" Ted Masen joked when Edward stopped talking to take a breath.

Edward laughed with him. "No, not much at all. So?"

"Well, um, let's start at what appears to be the most important thing in the laundry list you gave me. I'll contact a colleague in Seattle regarding the termination of parental rights. I agree with you that a man like that has no place in the lives of Jake and Jared, but before I step in, I want you to be sure you're actually ready for what you're signing up for. You gave them good advice regarding the onslaught of puberty, but son, from experience, that's only the tip of the iceberg. In the years to come, things get a hell of a lot more complicated. Are you sure you're ready to tie yourself to that?" his dad asked him.

Edward thought about his comment for only thirty seconds, and replied, "Dad, they're good boys, and I learn as much from them as I hope they're learning from me. We'll get through this shit about them getting Jasper's number from my phone and giving it to Alice, but I believe in my heart that I'm ready…well, maybe not ready, but willing…to take on whatever comes my way with regard to being there for Jake and Jared. While I love Bella with all my heart, I really, really care for those boys." He hoped his father could hear the sincerity in his voice because he meant every word he was saying.

"Well, I have to tell you, and I'd never admit to anyone that I said this, but they're pretty damn smart. You're going to have your hands full with the two of them. If they were able to figure out the button to push with Alice to get her to take those girls over to Esme's house to go swimming, man, you better stay on your toes," his father teased.

Oh, Edward knew it. "Yeah, I know. But what about Alice? She outright lied to me about Jasper. Like I wouldn't call him and talk to him? I mean, seriously?" Edward asked.

"Well, you and I both know that Es and Carlisle have coddled that girl for a long time, so maybe it's about time they had to deal with a bit of trouble. Don't let your sister put this all on you regarding the fact that Whitlock is your friend. Esme and Carlisle needed to rein her in a long time ago," his father said. Edward didn't really agree because to his knowledge, Alice had been a really great kid, but maybe he didn't know everything that went on with her.

"So, back to Sam?" Edward asked, anxious to hear his father's thoughts.

"Oh, like I said, I've got a contact in Seattle. I'll call him and have him draw something up, and then I'll review it before I have him contact you. I want to make certain that the son-of-a-bitch has absolutely no way to get to those boys," Ted told him.

Edward thought about it for a moment, and then remarked, "Look, don't make it such that if the boys ever want to get in touch with him, he's prohibited from talking to them. Whether I like it or not, he _is_ their dad, and if the time ever comes in their future that they want to be in contact, I'd hate it, but I'd never stand in the way," Edward replied.

There was silence on the line for a moment, and then his father said, "You know, you're a pretty great guy. I'll send you an e-mail with the petition when it's done, and we'll talk about it. I love you, son, and I'm really proud of you. Bella's a remarkable girl, and I'm really happy you found her," Ted answered.

The two hung up after good-byes, and Edward felt his chest swell with pride at his father's words. In all of his recollection, it was the first time he remembered his father ever telling him he was proud of him. He wasn't laying any blame, but he was happy to have heard it. It made him want to get home to Bella even faster.

##

"Doctor's Office," Jake and Jared heard over the line. They'd stayed out on the deck the night of the blow up after their mom and Edward had gone to bed to try to figure out how to undo the damage that they'd obviously done because neither boy liked the idea that they'd broken Edward's trust. The only thing they could come up with to fix the situation was to come clean with the Cullens about their part in it. Well, they were going to come clean with Dr. Cullen because they were afraid of Esme, but that was what the call was about.

"Hi, um, is Dr. Cullen there? It's Jared and Jake Uley," Jared called after Jacob punched him between the shoulders to speak. They thought it was early enough that the doctor wouldn't be seeing patients yet, but they weren't exactly sure.

"Oh, hi boys. Your mom's in. Do you want to speak to her?" they heard over the line, not sure to whom they were speaking.

"_NO!"_ they both called, hearing a laugh.

"It's Angela Weber. You really need to talk to Doc? Is everything okay?" she asked.

Jared elbowed Jake, who commented, "Yeah, um, this is personal."

"Hang on. He's between patients," they heard, and then listened to the canned music.

"What are we gonna tell him?" Jared asked as they hovered over the speaker phone on the base of the house phone.

"_You're_ gonna tell him that we took the number out of Edward's phone without permission and gave it to Alice in exchange for a favor. You're gonna tell him we're sorry and offer to do yard work in exchange for him tellin' Edward that we came clean about it," Jake informed forcibly. In his mind, they'd talked about it, and why his brother was being so difficult was pissing him off.

What neither boy noticed was that the music was no longer playing over the line. It was silent until they heard a laugh. "So, you two gave Alice the number? Well, I kind of thought so, but she wouldn't give you up. So, you're going to do yard work at my house as a bribe for me to talk to Edward on your behalf? Why does it matter so much what he thinks?" they heard Dr. C ask over the line.

"Shit," Jacob whispered.

Jared slapped him on the head. "Hi, Dr. C. We didn't know you were on the phone. We're really, um, sorry that we got Alice in trouble. We'll make it up to you and Mrs. C," Jared offered, looking to Jake for support. When his brother nodded, Jared continued. "We had no idea that Alice would want to run away, and we don't want her to go. We like hangin' out with her. Hell…um, heck, we were dreadin' when she went away to college."

"Look, none of us handled this very well, especially Alice. She wants to prove that she's an adult, but right now she's not behaving like one, and that's not your fault. What happened with Edward?" Carlisle asked them.

"Oh, um, well we disappointed him and broke his trust by goin' into his phone for the number. We're kinda just tryin' to figure out how to make that right. We thought maybe if we came clean with you, it was a start," Jake offered.

The line was quiet for a minute, and then they heard Dr. C cough and then blow his nose. "I'll, um, call you guys about the yard work. Maybe we can work on that garden for Esme's birthday, okay? But, I insist on paying you for your time. You shouldn't have gone into Edward's phone for the number, but the rest of this isn't really your fault, okay?" Carlisle clarified.

"Thanks, Dr. C," they chanted in unison and hung up.

Jake looked at Jared and asked, "Do you think that did any good besides get us another job?"

"I don't know, but we'll be leaving in the morning, so we better take out the trash and clean up. We should get our shit together too because I think Pop is gonna pick us up early tomorrow. Do you think we could ask him about earning trust?" Jared asked.

"Maybe when we're fishin'. You know, like real general," Jacob suggested. Jared nodded, and the two went about cleaning up the kitchen from their breakfast and then taking out the trash just as Emmett came over to check on them.

They knew that since Alice was grounded and Officer McCarty worked evenings, he'd be checking on them during the day, and their grandmother had been sitting with them when they needed her to for their jobs, so they knew that the circumstances were dire without Alice. They needed to see how they could get her mind off of Jasper so she wouldn't run away because they both really liked her. That was what they discussed the rest of the day as they worked.

##

Angela's appearance at her door that Friday morning wasn't really a surprise to Bella because they'd always been close, but the smirk on her face was confusing. When Carlisle showed up at her door, she was worried.

"Um, hey guys? Is everything okay?" Bella asked nervously. It was the last day in the office before it closed for the week, and she knew the amount of work she had ahead of her, so she was trying to catch up and was even prepared to go in the next day because she needed to get home early and get the boys ready for camping with her parents. She had a grocery list in her purse that she needed to handle before she went home, and she prayed that there wasn't an emergency that morning that would preclude her from leaving on time that afternoon.

"I just came by to say that I'm not doing anything next week, so I can come in after your training and help you. If you teach me what you learned during the morning, we can knock this out next week. God knows, I'm not going anywhere and have nothing to do," Angela volunteered.

"Oh, that's great. I'll pay you both. I'd rather have you than a temp," Carlisle added as he stood at Bella's door with a huge smile on his face looking at Angela.

"Um, well, that's nice of you both. I'll be happy to do whatever you need. Carlisle, are you and Esme going away?" Bella asked, still unsure of what was going on.

"No. We'd considered it, but with everything going on, we're going to hang around town, I think. Angela, could you excuse us? I'd like to talk to Bella for a minute before my next patient," Carlisle requested. Angela laughed and nodded, leaving the two of them. When Carlisle walked into her office and closed the door, Bella wasn't sure what to do.

She watched him sit down and smile. "You know, it's rare these days that I'm ever surprised by anything. I guess at my age, I'm pretty jaded about a lot of shit, but one thing I've learned is that you should never take anyone for granted, and I'm sorry that I've taken you for granted. I've known you and worked with you for nearly six years, and I never bothered to really get to know you and your sons. I regret that now that I know what special people you are.

"I'm really happy to know you and your boys, and honestly, you've truly enriched our lives. This thing with Alice, well, it's long overdue that she act like a teenager, and I guess Es and I were spoiled, but we'll all get through this. It's not yours or Edward's, or Jake and Jared's fault that this has happened, okay? I know Esme bitched at Edward about it, but honestly, something needed to happen to remind us that our daughter isn't perfect. We'll get through this, Bella. I'm just happy that the Uleys are part of our family. That's all I came to say. Get out of here early because I know the boys are leaving in the morning. This will all be here when you come in on Monday. No working this weekend. I'm having the office painted, and they want no one here to interfere," Carlisle ordered.

"Oh, um, I was planning to work tomorrow morning," she said as he rose from his chair.

"Nope. Nothing until Monday. I'll talk to you next week, just to check in on how things are going. If you need me, you know my number. Please don't get hurt and call me from my vacation," he teased. They both laughed and then he left. Bella was perplexed by the conversation, but knowing that she was leaving early that day didn't leave her time to dwell. She went right back to work.

At 2:00 PM, Gail told her that the office was closed and everyone was expected to clear out, so she gathered her things to leave. When she arrived home after getting a ride from Angela, she was surprised to see Edward's car on the driveway. She had no idea that he'd planned to come home early, and she prayed that something wasn't wrong. There'd already been enough problems to make him want to run. If the boys had set something on fire or broken something, she didn't know what she'd do. When the house was empty when she walked inside, she worried even more.

##

"Boss, your brother-in-law is on the line," Edward heard over his intercom as he was about to dive into a steak sandwich from the deli downstairs. He was trying to clean up a few details for Volt, and he'd been making calls regarding some potential clients about which he'd heard.

Summer wasn't the greatest time to make cold calls, but he was doing his best. Larry had asked him to offer his opinion on a new campaign, and they'd set up a meeting for Monday morning, so he didn't really have any pressing business that afternoon.

"Thanks, Siobhan. It's kinda dead. If you wanna make an early weekend of it, feel free," he told his assistant.

"Thanks, boss. See ya Monday," he heard back. He punched the blinking light and responded, "Hey Carlisle. What's up?"

"Well, um, I'm calling on behalf of my clients, Jacob and Jared Uley. They're looking for ways to regain your trust and get into your good graces, and I said that I'd offer my two cents," he heard Carlisle explain with a laugh in his voice.

"Great, now you're a lawyer as well? What'd they do now?" Edward asked nervously.

"They called me at the office and confessed to their part of this latest shitstorm that's hitting my happy home. They apologized for their actions, and they offered to do yard work to make it up to us. You know, those are some really special boys," Carlisle replied.

"They are, but there are things that…" Edward began.

"Oh, I know. They told me that they went into your phone and took the number. They realize that they've disappointed you, and they're trying to figure out how to fix it. I applaud whatever discussion you had with them, but can I offer you some advice?" Carlisle asked.

Hell, at that point, Edward would take advice from the mailroom guy who liked to chat up the assistants as he made his way from desk to desk. He was still trying to figure out how to maneuver the world of having eleven-year-old twins in his home. Any advice was welcomed.

"Sure," Edward replied.

"Do you remember when you were at Dartmouth? You called me in a panic because you'd overextended your credit card, yet again, and you asked to borrow money because Ted and Liza had told you that if it happened again, they'd cut your ass off? You were partying like it was _your_ money, and you had sworn to your parents that you wouldn't do it again?" Carlisle reminded him, which wasn't exactly what Edward wanted to hear.

At the time, he was nineteen-years old, and he was partying with Jasper who didn't have wealthy parents. When Jasper took him to a bar and bought a round for the house on Edward's credit card, he never said no and had to bear the wrath from his parents more than once over the bill. It was an uncomfortable memory, and he wasn't exactly sure why Carlisle was reminding him of it.

"I paid you back," he answered.

"You did, but do you remember what I told you when I transferred the money to your checking account?" Carlisle asked.

"You told me if I ever called you for money again, you wouldn't answer the phone," Edward replied with a laugh.

"And there was the time when you called me from Amsterdam, having cashed in your plane ticket to come home because you found some girl who was behind on rent and you gave her the money, only to find out that she was actually living with her _boyfriend_ and using you? What'd I tell you then?" Carlisle reminded.

"Are we rehashing my shortcomings, because I really don't like this particular stroll down memory lane," Edward commented.

"What'd I tell you?" Carlisle pressed.

"You told me that if I ever called you for money again, you wouldn't help me, but I paid you back for that as well," Edward answered with a roll of his eyes.

"And then when you called and told me that you wanted to move here after Liza and Ted told you they were selling the house in Chicago, getting a condo, and they were going to split their time between Chicago and London, what'd I tell you?" Carlisle reminded, yet again.

"Fuck Carlisle, you guys let me live with you and told me that you'd be happy to help me with anything I needed. You loaned me the money to buy my house after I got my job because I didn't have access to my trust fund yet. I paid that back as well. Where are you going with this?" Edward asked at the end of his patience with his brother-in-law.

"Well, I believe if you look at all of those situations, you'll see that regardless of what I told you each time, you still called me because you knew that I'd always be there for you. Es never knew about any of it, but we both knew that no matter how exasperated I was with you, you were my little brother, and I'd support you…even financially…on anything. I knew the type of man you'd become, and I knew that everything would work out," Carlisle told him.

Edward was perplexed because he couldn't connect the dots in Carlisle's lesson, so he asked, "So how does this pertain to Jake and Jared?"

"They've _never_ had a man in their corner like that. They have no one besides Bella to depend on, and you're the guy they look up to the most, and when you told them that you were disappointed in them, they were devastated. _They_ are eleven. Words to an eleven-year old, especially in light of what they've been through with that fuck-up of a father…they are powerful.

"They aren't equipped with the skills of how to fix things with you, Edward. They don't know how to regain your trust or not disappoint you, so I'm just giving you a head's up that when you say shit like that to them, they revere you so much that they take it to heart, which is good, but you've got to offer them a roadmap on how to fix it. They need expectations and boundaries. You can't leave things open-ended with two eleven-year-old boys who've never really had a male role model in their lives," Carlisle told him, which tied Edward's stomach in knots.

In that moment, he knew that he'd fucked up, and _he_ was the one who needed to fix it. "How the hell do I do that?" he asked Carlisle.

He heard his brother-in-law laugh and offer, "Take the advice you gave two eleven-year-olds." Then the line went dead.

Thinking back on his discussion with his father earlier in the day, he felt foolish for even contemplating that he was _ready_ to handle anything that the boys threw at him. While he certainly felt he was willing, he knew in that moment that he was no more _ready_ than he could fly.

After tossing the cold sandwich in the trash can by his desk, he grabbed his suit jacket off the back of his door along with his briefcase and walked out into the hallway, seeing that Siobhan had left. In his mind, he needed to talk to the boys, and it couldn't wait. They were leaving the next morning for a week, and it couldn't wait until they got home from camping. He'd done them an injustice that he hadn't even considered, so he needed to talk to them, preferably without Bella being around.

It was only noon, so he stopped and grabbed hamburgers to take home, prepared to talk to them about what he'd said earlier in the week. Things had been tense around the house, and he couldn't let them leave with any doubts. It was his job, as the man who wanted to be their father, to make sure they knew that regardless of what they ever did, he'd love them. That was the most important thing in the world.

When he pulled into the driveway at 12:30 that Friday, he saw them down the street with a pair of shears trimming Mrs. Sohn's hedge that stood between her house and her neighbor's, Mr. Gibson. The neighbors had agreed on the height of the hedge, and both had insisted that before the boys trimmed it, they get out a yardstick and measure it. Apparently, that day was the day that it would be trimmed.

He saw Jared on the ground holding up a wooden yardstick as Jacob worked the shears, and he felt guilty as hell because they really were good boys. He ran inside, put the lunch in the oven on low, and ran upstairs to change. When he came back five-minutes later, he saw that Jacob was arguing with Jared regarding something, so he hoofed it down the street to see what was wrong.

He walked into the yard and heard, "Jackass, there's a dip here. You have to leave it a little longer so it's straight." It was Jared's reasoning, and Edward was certain he was right, but he still laughed.

"Where the hell did you get those shears? Christ, they've gotta be fifty-years old," Edward teased as he saw both boys looking wide-eyed at his sudden appearance.

"They're Mr. Gibson's. They're rusty as hell, but he won't let us oil or sharpen 'em," Jacob complained.

"Come eat, and then we're going to Home Depot. There's a better way, trust me. Just put them on his porch," Edward called as he saw Emmett come out of his house across the street from Mrs. Sohn.

"Hey, I had to let Brute out. How's it going?" Emmett asked.

"They're taking a break. Thanks for looking after them this week, but you're off duty. I'm home for the rest of the day, and then they're gonna be gone for a week. We'll work out how to manage things when they get home, but we appreciate your help," Edward told Emmett.

"Honestly? I love hangin' out with these guys. Anytime you need somebody to look in on 'em, you call me. Guys, have a great time on vacation. When you get back, you're gonna teach me how that World of Warcraft shit works," Emmett called as he fist bumped with them.

"You betcha, Mack," the boys called in unison.

After they were back at the house, Edward pulled out the burgers and fries, plating them and then carrying them outside. It was cloudy but no rain was forecast, so he wanted to eat outside. "Grab three sodas, will ya?" he called as he walked out onto the deck, settling the plates around the table. The boys came out with sodas and glasses of ice, and took their seats.

After they started eating, Edward opened his Coke and poured it into the glass, finally gathering his courage to address the problem. "I owe you guys a huge apology. When my niece lost control of her senses and my sister called to bitch at me about it, I took that shit out on you and that's completely unfair. I was disappointed that you went into my phone and took the number, but I didn't tell you the rest of it. You'll do shit that will piss me off, just like I'll do shit that will piss you off, but I still have your back, okay? I should have told you what it would take to regain my trust, but I didn't, and that wasn't fair. You guys don't have enough experience with shit to understand that kind of thing, and I should have known better.

"Carlisle called me and told me what you did, and I'm very proud of you for owning up to it, but your part in it all was really small, and I made too big a deal of it. I apologize for that. You two are too smart for your own good, and I'm gonna have to stay on my toes with you, but I want you to understand one thing. Regardless of whatever you do, you'll always have me in your life. I'm always going to be in your corner, regardless of whether I believe you were right or wrong. Now, I'll still bitch at you when you do stuff that I don't think is right, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about you or that I won't be there for you, okay? I'm not going anywhere. I love you boys, and that's not something I'm ever gonna take back, okay?" Edward asked, hoping he was getting his point across.

He saw them nod, and he was pretty sure that was all he was going to get, but that was enough. He remembered being eleven, and well, he might not have even given that much to his own father.

He took a deep breath and finished his lunch, and then the three of them went to Home Depot and bought electric shears. That afternoon found Edward Masen trimming the hedges between Mr. Gibson and Mrs. Sohn, showing the boys how to hold it steady so that the yardstick wouldn't be necessary. He hoped it was just the first of many things he would teach them.

\\\

_**E/N: So, what do we think? Lots of discussions took place…advice, good or bad?**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! I can't tell you how much I appreciate them! This will be the last chapter of Bandits that I post before vacation. I'll be back around in a week. Tomorrow, I'll update She Said...and then, adios!**_

_**Scorpio11 – Thank you so much for helping me out during your down time! You'll be getting a break from me now…after tomorrow : )**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No copyright infringement intended.**_

_**\\\**_

21.

##

Bella had gone to the boys' rooms to pack their things for the camping trip with her parents, seeing that they'd already taken care of it. The mother in her couldn't resist checking to make certain that they had everything they needed…especially clean underwear. When she saw that they did, she was surprised, pleasantly so.

She went to change, and just as she was about to go in search of the three men in her life, she heard laughter downstairs. She hurried down, seeing Edward drying his face with a damp t-shirt that he tossed in the laundry basket while Jake went to the fridge and pulled out three bottles of water.

"Okay, one hedge to teach you, I get, but you two are scam artists. I did it today, but next time, it's all yours," Edward teased as he took the cap off the water and gulped it down before she made herself known. She loved seeing him with her sons, and that day was no different.

"Where have you three been?" Bella asked as she went to the fridge and grabbed her own water.

"We bought a hedge trimmer. You wouldn't believe the piece of shit that they were trying to use to trim hedges. Oh, and they were using a yardstick to make certain it was uniform. It's all figured out now. How come you're home early?" Edward asked as he kissed her nose…which was wrinkled because he smelled, and not in the good way that she loved.

"What's with the face?" Jake asked with a grin.

"He stinks. Hell, you all do," Bella complained as her sons engulfed her in hugs, just to aggravate her. When Edward joined them in the hug fest, she quickly maneuvered away from them, holding her nose.

"You three need showers," she complained as she went to the dryer, seeing it empty. She'd put towels in it early that morning, but she had no idea where they'd gone.

"Who folded towels?" she asked, looking at her sons and the man she absolutely worshiped who stood shirtless in front of her.

"Oh, we did. We put 'em away, too," Jake told her as the three of them milled around the kitchen. Jared went to the fridge and pulled out a box of popsicles, offering them to Edward and Jacob, who each took one, and then turned to his mother, seeing the surprise on her face.

"Thanks?" Bella questioned, not quite sure what had gotten into the men in the house that Friday afternoon. They'd been quiet all week, but that afternoon, things were different. Things held a promise of how good it could be, and she wanted to hold onto it with both hands. It was as she'd always hoped life could be for her and her sons, and standing before her chewing on a cherry popsicle was the man responsible for it all. She fell in love with him all over again.

##

"Pop, can we ask you somethin'?" Jacob asked quietly. They were in the middle of the lake the next Friday morning. Both boys had put off talking to him about the thing that was weighing heavy on their minds, remembering that Edward told them that what happened at home was between them, and they didn't have to worry that anyone had told Charlie what had happened, but they still had questions before their mother and Edward showed up that afternoon.

"Sure," Charlie answered.

"How do you earn someone's trust?" Jared asked at Jake's prompting.

They saw Charlie contemplate the answer, and then he smiled a little. "I'll need a little background on the question," he commented as he recast his line from the small john boat that the three of them were sharing.

"Um, okay, let's say you have somebody's trust, and you don't really know how you got it in the first place, but you broke it. How do you get it back?" Jake asked.

Charlie Swan wasn't the most compassionate individual on the planet, but he was a good cop. He also knew that his grandsons were a handful, and while he didn't know what went on at their house, he was pretty sure that they'd done something to break his daughter's trust, which was bothering them.

"Well, now, that's a good question isn't it? It really depends on how the trust was broken in the first place, and the value that's placed on the trust," he offered, waiting for more information.

"Well, let's say that someone went into another person's private stuff and gave somethin' away without askin' permission. Then let's say that person found out about it and was disappointed. How do you take that back?" Jake asked.

Charlie thought for a minute, playing with his mustache. He tried to imagine what his very creative grandsons had done to break their mother's trust, but knowing the boys, he was pretty sure he'd never be able to fathom it. "Well, was it money or something like that? Because if it was, that's a crime," he reminded.

"Oh, no, Pop, it wasn't money. What if it was a phone number?" Jared asked as he recast his line.

Charlie contemplated what they were telling him, and while he couldn't begin to figure out to what they were referring, he decided that it didn't really matter. "Well, if it's something like that, you apologize, and then you step back and put yourself in that person's position. How would you feel if someone went through your stuff and took something from you? What would it take for you to trust that person again?" Charlie asked. He wasn't sure if his words were helpful, because trust was truly subjective, but he was offering whatever guidance he could, seeing that the boys had no real father from whom to gain such advice.

"If someone did that to you, would you still love them?" Jake asked.

That gave Charlie pause to wonder what the hell was going on in his daughter's home. He knew that he'd made a lot of mistakes with Bella, the most egregious being when he pushed her to marry Sam, but he wanted to do better by his grandsons.

"I think you better tell me what's going on," he told the boys, seeing them swallow hard.

"We went into Edward's phone, took a number from it, and gave it to Alice even though we knew he wouldn't. She'd asked him for it, and he said no, but we gave it to her in trade for her doin' a favor for us. Edward found out and told us that he was disappointed in us, and that we'd have to regain his trust. That was what he said, right?" Jake asked, looking at Jared.

"Yeah, and then, he told us he was sorry for sayin' it and that he'd always care about us and be in our corner. Tell the whole story, Jake," Jared responded tersely to his brother.

"Does he treat you guys okay?" Charlie asked with concern. He hadn't really been paying much attention to what was going on with his daughter because she didn't call and ask him if he could help her, but he was worried about what the boys had said.

"Heck, Pop, he wants to adopt us. Our dad doesn't want anything to do with us, but Edward wants to be our dad. We just have to figure out how to regain his trust," Jake told his grandfather, which caused a lump in Charlie's throat.

He'd checked out with his grandsons, and someone else had moved into their lives. He'd seen it, but he thought it was just a fly-by-night thing, not that his daughter had those relationships. If he was hearing them right, there was a lot going on that he didn't know about.

##

"Babe, come on. We're going to be staying in a cabin. It's not a fucking cotillion," Edward called up the stairs to her. She was trying to pack, but really, Carmen hadn't given her clothes for camping, and how did one really justify Donna Karan in the great outdoors?

"Kiss my ass, Masen," she yelled back as she went to his drawer and grabbed a pair of his basketball shorts that had a drawstring and a Dartmouth t-shirt. She'd packed a few other things in her small bag, but she wanted comfort, and she felt that his shorts and t-shirt would offer it.

Edward had been restless for most of the week. They'd gone out for dinners and had a great week, but his constant reminder of how quiet the house was after they'd settle into bed at night reminded her of how much she missed the boys. In those moments, she could see he missed them as well.

A FedEx letter had arrived from a lawyer in Seattle. It was the termination of parental rights for Sam, and after she and Edward had talked about it, they'd agreed that she'd talk to Sam once again about whether he really wanted to take that step, and that the boys should talk to their dad. She knew that it would be tough on them to talk to him, but it was important, so she'd push them to call him, maybe for the last time. She wasn't looking forward to it at all.

"If you ever fucking bring it down here, I'll kiss it just like I did last night," he called up the stairs, causing her to laugh.

While they'd both been busy with work that week, they'd gone out on dates…well as many dates as one could go on around Forks and Port Angeles. It had been lovely, and when they returned home each night, they'd made love all over the house and even out on the deck on Thursday night after they drank a bottle of champagne with Emmett when he and Rosalie showed up to tell them that Rosalie was pregnant with their first born and how much they hoped it was a boy.

Edward had indeed kissed her ass as he took her from behind at 2:00 AM on the deck chair that he'd apparently bought for that specific purpose. It had been an eye-opening experience for her, and a hell of a lot of fun.

She stumbled down the stairs with her small bag in hand, and found him waiting for her at the bottom with a huge smile on his face. "Ready?" he asked with a kiss to her lips. Oh, she was ready for anything, but she was certain he was talking about the hour long ride to the lake, and she was actually ready for that as well.

"Ready for whatever you've got up your little sleeve," she teased as she pinched his cheek, seeing him smile.

They walked out the front door, and she stopped immediately. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the SUV sitting on the driveway.

"It's a test drive," he called as he carried their bags and threw them into the back of the blue Ford on the driveway.

"Test drive?" she asked as she followed him and climbed in on the passenger side.

"Test drive, as in you test it out and see if you like it," he called as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the car…truck…gas-guzzling behemoth.

"_I _like it?" she asked. She didn't like it.

"Okay, maybe not you, but me. Buckle up," he called to her. She pulled on her seatbelt, and while she'd like to say the ride was awful, she couldn't. It had everything that anyone could want, including navigation which took over when her mother's directions weren't accurate because there was a detour, which no one bothered to mention, but it was a lot bigger than anything she'd ever want to drive. In the grand scheme of things, it was about the length of her old truck, but there was a lot more room inside. Thinking of driving it made her very nervous.

"So, um, did you just scam the guy and tell him you were interested so you didn't have to drive your beloved Mercedes into the wild?" Bella teased as they got on the road.

He laughed and took her hand, kissing it. "No, but that would have been a great idea if I wasn't in the market for another car," he answered.

"You aren't a very good liar, Edward. _You're_ not in the market for another car. You're in the market for a car for _me_, and I already told you that I'd get one when I could," Bella chastised, pulling her hand away and crossing her arms over her chest in protest.

She saw him look in her direction out of the corner of her eye, and he full out laughed. "Ah, there's the pout. I've wondered if there was a pouty face. I've seen the pissed-off face, a lot more than I want to, and I've seen the horny face, which I don't get to see nearly enough, but I've never seen the pouty face. It's really cute. I bet it didn't work on your dad when you were little," Edward deduced.

She chuckled a little, covering it with a cough, and remembered that nothing ever worked with her father when she was little. He was quite strict with her, and she never got away with anything. How she actually got pregnant was really a miracle because her father seemed to have a sixth sense about what she was up to growing up, and he thwarted her at every turn.

"It's not a pouty face. It's a version of the 'you don't listen to me' face. I haven't had to pull this one out because you usually don't push so hard…well, not since the fire-induced shopping spree," she answered.

"Are you insinuating that I'm pussy whipped? Because I'm not," he replied forcefully. When she looked at him, she saw _his_ pouty face. She was pretty sure that face worked on his mother every time.

"Oh, I know the big bad man isn't pussy whipped. That's not what I was actually talking about. You got your way with regard to all the stuff you bought when the house burned down, which I could tell made you very happy so I didn't bitch…" she began.

"_WHAT?!_ Oh…my…God. You pitched a damn tantrum in the middle of Nordstrom's. You, my love, are still unable to accept the fact that I'm going to be around for the rest of your life, and I'm going to take care of my family. This vehicle is made for a family with two active boys. And the rear seat folds up so that there's room for three more passengers, should we ever find ourselves in need of additional seating," Edward informed.

She thought about what he'd said, and she knew there was no way that two sets of football pads and all the other crap that went with the boys' sporting events would fit in the trunk of Edward's car, so she supposed she'd actually lost the argument. Plus, he was right…if she could find another mother who lived in the area with whom she could trade carpool duty, she'd probably need additional space for more children. She truly hated that he was right, and she hated to admit it even more.

"Argh…you're right. If we can find someone to share carpooling responsibilities, it would be helpful to have room to haul more kids. I hate that you're right," she admitted hesitantly.

"Wow…how'd that taste?" he teased, which earned him a salute with her middle finger.

He laughed, and they drove along for fifteen minutes without conversing. Bella was busy playing with the satellite radio and the navigation system. She was actually warming up to the car, but she was reluctant to admit it because she knew it was probably expensive, so she was trying to find flaws, hoping that maybe she could convince him that a lesser model would work just as well.

"You know, there might be other reasons why a car like this would come in handy," Edward commented, suddenly looking very nervous. She turned down the radio to find out what was on his mind.

"What, like for having sex in it?" she teased, trying to gauge the direction he was going in his thoughts.

He laughed and looked at her. "Well, there's _that_, but I was thinking, you know, the day might come…sometime in the future, mind you…when we'll need room for, um, hauling more stuff, you know?" he asked. She didn't know.

"What, are my sons suddenly going into some sort of hauling business?" she whined.

"God, don't mention it. You know how they are. That's not exactly what I was thinking about," he answered vaguely.

"Masen, just cut to the chase. We only have another twenty-five minutes before we get there, and if my sons have put you up to something that's going to piss me off, I'd like a little time to prepare myself," she replied.

"You're beautiful, and you're sexy, and you're sweet, and you're loving, and…you're clueless. I was referring to car seats," he answered, taking her aback.

"Car seats? I'm sorry, I'm not following you," she answered. Oh, she was definitely following him, but she wanted to hear his thoughts on the matter without so much beating around the bush.

"Jesus…okay. What are your thoughts on having another child in the future? Would you consider it, or are you done?" Edward asked. Yep, it was exactly as she suspected. She was actually surprised it had taken him so long to broach the subject, considering that their relationship was like a bullet train.

"Why? Are _you_ pregnant?" she teased, enjoying his discomfort a little more than she probably should.

She truly had no thoughts on whether she wanted additional children because she never had a reason to think that she'd meet someone and the possibility of more children would present itself. While Jake and Jared were a handful on a good day, they'd really been good boys, and since Edward had stepped into their lives, things had been a lot easier, what with burden sharing and all.

"Very funny. You know what I'm talking about. Would you consider having any more kids in the future?" Edward asked again.

She thought on the matter, and smiled. "Actually, I think I would with the right person. I loved it when the boys were babies, even with all of the problems with Sam, so yeah, I could see having more children," she answered, remembering her giant sons as tiny little babies…well, not quite so tiny. Jacob weighed eight pounds, and Jared had been just under him at seven pounds, eight ounces. She prayed if she had any more children, they wouldn't weigh fifteen pounds. Carrying the twins had been a chore, and it was the only thing she didn't like about the experience…oh, aside from their father.

"And, this right person, are you accepting applications?" Edward asked, causing her to snicker.

"I'd have thought that your ego had been sufficiently stroked this week with all of the attention I showered over you, but if you need to hear it, fine. I'm not accepting applications because I already have a prime specimen on my radar if everything works out. You, my dear man, would make a wonderful father," she replied, seeing the smug smile return to his face.

"Good. Now that that's settled, we just need to hammer out a few details," he began.

"But not this weekend. This weekend is about spending time with my sons, my parents, and the man I love without any major drama, agreed?" Bella answered.

"That's fine. Soon enough," Edward told her as they found the cabin that Charlie and Renee had rented. They saw the boys sitting on the front stairs, and they both smiled, anxious for the weekend to begin.

##

Charlie Swan was in investigative mode. Some of the things his grandsons had mentioned over the week…especially that morning when they were fishing…had struck a nerve with him, and he had every intention of getting to the bottom of all of it before the end of the weekend.

He'd seen his daughter and Edward Masen arrive, and he'd witnessed how excited the boys were to see them both. They'd hugged their mom like an eleven-year-old boy was prone to do, and they'd surprised Charlie by giving Edward a one-armed hug when he'd walked up to the porch.

They were helping him with the bags, talking animatedly with him about their week, and Charlie could see that without his knowledge, Edward Masen had developed a strong relationship with his grandsons. If he was being honest with himself, he was a bit jealous because while he was sure that his grandsons knew he loved them, he didn't have the same easy rapport with them. The signs had been there at Father's Day, but with the fire, he'd put it out of his mind. He was pretty certain that was a mistake.

He'd grown up in a home where hard work and respect were demanded. Trust and loyalty were essential, and physical affection was non-existent. When he'd married Renee and they'd had Bella, he left all the touchy-feely stuff to his wife and instilled the same values in his daughter with which he'd been raised. Watching Edward rough housing with his grandsons made him rethink the relationship he had with them.

"Edward, you need any help?" Charlie asked from the porch. Bella was inside with Renee, the two of them clucking a mile a minute, so he'd wandered outside to see what was going on.

"Hey, Chief. No, we got it. Jake, can you grab that case of beer, please? Jared, be careful with that because it has bread and eggs in it. Your mother seems to think that there are no grocery stores for miles. So, did you catch anything this morning?" Edward asked them as he pulled a fishing rod out of the back of what appeared to be a brand new SUV, along with two duffel bags. Charlie watched as Edward pushed something on the key and the tailgate slowly lowered.

As they climbed on the porch, Charlie took the beer from Jacob, who then turned around and went to grab the bags from Edward. "Thanks, Jake," Edward remarked as he tousled Jacob's hair, causing the boy to smile widely.

"Nice SUV. Rental?" Charlie asked as Edward opened the door for everyone to enter the larger cabin.

"Actually, no. I bought it, but Bella doesn't exactly know that yet, and I'd rather not tell her this weekend. I'm just letting her warm up to it before she finds out it's hers," Edward responded quietly. Charlie laughed.

"She'll be pissed about it," Charlie remarked, seeing Edward nod in agreement. At least the guy knew his daughter.

"Here he is! Edward, welcome," Renee gushed as she hugged him. When Edward hugged her back, the nickname of "Hugger" popped in Charlie's head. That was, until he saw the smile on his daughter's face at the sight of her mother and the guy with whom she was living in sin. That was something else Charlie wasn't thrilled about.

"Thanks, Renee. Guys, can you help your mom put the groceries away while I take our stuff upstairs. Which room is…um…where are we all sleeping?" Edward asked, eyeing Charlie carefully.

It was already a fight that Charlie and his wife had had that morning after he and the boys returned from fishing. Renee reasoned that they were living together, and it was foolish to force the boys to stay on the couches so that the couple occupied separate rooms. Charlie didn't agree at all, and when he'd ordered the boys to move their things downstairs, Renee had told them no. It was the first time that Charlie could remember his wife openly defying him.

"First door on the right at the top of the stairs," Renee called as she placed two gallons of milk in the refrigerator. Charlie saw Edward leave the room, and he knew it was his opportunity to talk to his daughter.

"Guys, the women got this. Take Edward's fishing rod out and put it with ours, and then load some wood into that fire pit. I see your mom brought marshmallows, so I'd guess we'll be makin' s'mores later," Charlie ordered.

"Yesss," he heard his grandsons hiss in unison. Jared grabbed the rod, and the two boys were out the back door like a shot.

Once he heard the screen door slam, he turned to his daughter. "What the hell is goin' on with you? This isn't like you, Bella. You're livin' with a man with your sons along for the ride? You've barely known the guy for a minute, and you've got your kids with you while you're shackin' up? I raised you better than that. The boys told me that the kid wants to adopt 'em? Last I knew, they _have_ a dad," Charlie snapped, feeling that it was time for him to take control of his family yet again.

Bella wheeled on him and planted her hands on her hips, much like she used to do when she was a little girl. "Dad, it's my life. I'm not your concern, okay? I've got a good man who loves me, and we're planning a future together. He takes care of us, and as far as Sam goes…he doesn't want anything to do with the boys. He said it over the phone. Eventually, Edward wants to adopt them, but I want them to talk to their dad again to make sure it's what he really wants because once he signs the papers, they're out of his life forever," Bella snapped back.

"Young lady, watch your tone," Charlie chastised, seeing his daughter roll her eyes at him, which wasn't to his liking either.

"Dad, I'll be thirty-one in September. I'm far from young, and I haven't been your problem for a long time. None of this is your business. Your responsibility to my sons is to spend time with them and be their grandfather. You're to provide them with guidance and discipline when they're in your custody and I'm not around. The rest of the time, I'm their mother, and Edward is the wonderful man who's been better to them than Sam ever was. He's patient with them, and he actually _wants_ to be their dad. If he had his way, we'd be married next week, and the boys' last name would be Masen by this time next year," Bella informed.

"It's not his responsibility. _You're_ their mother. Sam's their _father_. It's up to the two of you to take care of your kids, not some stranger," Charlie snapped.

"Charles, knock it off," Renee demanded.

"_I will not_. I will not knock it off. This man breezes into her life and sweeps her off her feet, and all of a sudden, my daughter is a…" he begins.

"Chief, I beg you not to finish that sentence because I seriously do _not_ want to load Bella and the boys back into the car and take them home. Jake and Jared have looked forward to this since their father called Bella and told her that he wasn't coming to see them this summer. As for what your daughter is, she's the love of my life. She and her sons have brought so much happiness into my life that I truly run out of ways to thank them. Oh, those boys give me a run for my money, but I'm learning. We're all learning. We're learning how to be a family, and I believe that all we want is your support," Edward commented from the doorway. Charlie hadn't heard him come down the stairs, so his comment was a surprise.

Charlie turned to the young man and took in his appearance. He appeared to be pissed off, but no more so than Charlie himself. "Oh, _really_? And, tell me, _son_, what's in this for you?" he challenged.

He watched Bella walk over to where Edward stood and wrap her arm around his waist with the young man wrapping his arm around her shoulders and kissing her on the temple. "I'm getting more from this than anyone. I have the privilege of having this woman love me and allow me to help her raise her sons, who someday, I hope to make my sons. They deserve everything in the world, and it's my plan to give it to them," Edward stated as he looked into Bella's eyes and smiled.

"I'm curious…what's gotten into you? Every time we've had you over to the house…like Father's Day…you've been fine. Why this shit now?" Bella asked her father.

Charlie thought about her comment, and it wasn't something he hadn't asked himself. The honest answer that he would never share with anyone was that he was jealous. He'd been the go-to guy in his grandsons' lives for a long time. He felt like he was being replaced by a younger, hipper model, and he didn't like it at all.

Instead of the truth, he opted for something not quite true, but not quite a lie. "I didn't realize this was anything more than just you two dating. I had no idea that you were gonna live with this guy for good. That's a bad example to set for my grandsons, and I don't like it all. Now, you're pushing Sam out of their lives for this guy to come in and take over? None of that sets well with me, Bells, and you of all people should know it," he answered.

He watched his daughter walk over to the screen door and call for the boys to come inside. Once they were inside, she looked at the time on the clock over the stove and shook her head. He saw her pull out a cell phone, and then she placed it on the table.

"Boys, the papers arrived that Edward and I spoke with you about. Before we send them to your dad, I want you to talk to him once more. I want him to be sure of everything, and if you've got anything you want to say to him, then I want you to have the opportunity to say it," Bella instructed.

He saw Edward sit down in a chair between them and add, "Look, if he's had a change of heart, that doesn't change anything between us. We'll still mean the same things to each other even if I can't adopt you, and I'll buy you tickets to go to Alaska to see your dad if he says it's okay. I'm not sure when the new baby is due, so it might not be until the end of summer, but if it's not until then, we'll just try football camp earlier next summer, okay?" Edward asked.

"I think it's stupid because we know the bastard isn't gonna change his mind, but if it speeds things up, then fine," Jared remarked.

"Jared Samuel, you watch that language," Bella admonished with a frown. Jared shrugged.

With a fretful glance at her sons, she continued. "Now, I'll talk to him first. If you don't want to listen, then go back outside, and I'll call you when he's ready to talk to you. I can't say that he won't make comments like he did the last time, but hopefully, he won't. It's only five o'clock there, so he should be home. So? Shall we?" Bella asked, looking at her father with nothing but contempt on her face.

"Yeah, call him," Jake replied coldly.

Charlie watched her dial a number and then put the phone on speaker. The six occupants of the kitchen heard three rings, and then a terse, "Yeah, Jake."

"Sam, its Bella." They all heard the groan over the line.

"What _now_?" Sam groaned.

"The papers came this week. I wanted to give you a chance to think this through before you take such a drastic step. Once you sign the papers, Sam, there's no going back," she reasoned.

"I know. I talked to a buddy of mine who did the same thing. Just send 'em, and I'll send 'em back. I assume you're not going to make me pay for any of this," Sam complained.

"No, it's covered. Would you like to talk to the boys? They're right here," Bella replied quietly. Charlie saw tears on her cheeks, as well as on the cheeks of his wife. His grandsons just looked pissed.

"I don't see where any good would come of that. Just send the shit and I'll send it back," Sam snapped. They all heard the dial tone, and then the slamming of the screen door as Jake and Jared took off with Edward hot on their trail.

Charlie Swan could have been knocked over with a feather. He'd really never given a tinker's damn for Sam Uley, but even he couldn't believe his ears. His daughter's sobbing brought him out of his shock. He sat down in a chair to try to get his bearings, because in that moment, he realized all of the mistakes he'd made in his life. It was a hell of a load that hit his shoulders, and for once in his life, he had no idea how to handle it.

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_**E/N: Welllllll…we got a lot out of that chapter. I know that you're organizing a lynch mob as I write this to hunt down not just Sam, but Charlie as well. I hate that this is the chapter I leave you with before being gone, but I'll give you this head's up…the next chapter picks up right after this moment, and it begins with our sweet hero chasing the boys out the back door. There…deep breaths everyone.**_

_**So, what did you think about the discussion regarding more children? Lemme hear from ya!**_

_**Thank you for reading. Leave me a review and then go rally your friends to jump on the bus with us. They'll have time to read and catch up while I'm gone, and then we're plowing ahead!**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: I'm back from Mexico! Had a great time…my liver is crying for recovery time, and I've got jet lag or something, but I made it home and had a great time. Thanks for all of your well-wishes, and your reviews made me quite happy!**_

_**Thank you Scorpio11 for getting this back in short order so I could post it before you all go running for the hills! Also, welcome to all the new readers/followers! Thank you for giving it a shot!**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No copyright infringement intended.**_

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_Last time…_

"_I don't see where any good would come of that. Just send the shit and I'll send it back," Sam snapped. They all heard the dial tone, and then the slamming of the screen door as Jake and Jared took off with Edward hot on their trail._

_Charlie Swan could have been knocked over with a feather. He'd really never given a tinker's damn for Sam Uley, but even he couldn't believe his ears. His daughter's sobbing brought him out of his shock. He sat down in a chair to try to get his bearings, because in that moment, he realized all of the mistakes he'd made in his life. It was a hell of a load that hit his shoulders, and for once in his life, he had no idea how to handle it._

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22.

##

"Come here," Edward called as he grabbed Jacob and Jared by the back of their t-shirts as they headed toward the lake. He had no idea where they intended to go, but he knew that they were hurting, and it broke his heart. Why Charlie had pushed Bella to take such a drastic step that night, Edward didn't know. It was certainly something that could have waited, but he had faith in Bella that she'd taken the step she had to make her father see once and for all the son-of-a-bitch who was Sam Uley.

Edward pulled the boys into a hug and let them cry, trying to hold his own tears at bay because for the second time in as many weeks, he'd heard the man who had fathered two of the greatest kids in the world basically toss them aside. His heart was broken, so he couldn't imagine how the boys felt.

"He's a jackoff," Jared whispered, clinging to Edward tightly.

"Yes, he is," Edward agreed.

"I hate him. I hope something bad happens to him," Jacob snapped as he pulled back and wiped his eyes with the neck of his t-shirt.

"Let's sit down, okay?" Edward asked. He knew there was the possibility that the boys would grow to be horribly bitter about their father, and he knew it would manifest itself in lashing out because they were hurt. He didn't want them to feel that way, but he knew that it would take time and patience to get them through the feelings.

He'd done some research on abandonment, and while he wasn't an expert, he felt a little better prepared to handle the situation. He'd also secured the name of a child therapist from Carlisle if the need arose.

"I don't know what happened this week, and I don't need to know. I don't blame you for the fact that your grandpa doesn't seem to be happy about the fact that I want to adopt you. That's something I'll take up with him.

"I'm sorry that your father is the kind of man who can't get his shit together enough to see what great kids you are. I, however, will not make the same mistake, okay? Maybe my blood doesn't run through your veins, but I love you boys just as much as if it did, okay? We're making a family, like I told you, and we'll get through this and come out on the other side a lot happier. If you want to talk to somebody else besides your mom and me about how you feel, I've got the name of a nice lady who knows how to handle things like this. We'll call her, and we'll all go and sit down with her, okay?" Edward suggested.

He saw the two of them look at each other, both drying their tears. "Maybe some time, but not now, okay? We don't know why Pop's actin' like this, but we don't think it's anything we said. We just asked him about trust and stuff. We're still tryin' to figure that out, and while what you and Dr. C said made sense, we thought maybe Pop knew somethin' else. We can talk to him," Jake offered. Edward smiled at their willingness to try to smooth things over. He knew that both boys got it from their mother.

"Naw. Now, go inside and grab your mom because I'm sure she's crying like a baby. Take her on the front porch and let her know that you're gonna be okay. I'll talk to your pop about stuff," Edward told them as the three of them rose from the picnic table near the lake.

"Hey, we go fishin' at five in the morning. You okay with that?" Jared asked.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Edward asked. They both nodded.

"I've never fished before in my life. I'd guess that the chief is gonna laugh his ass off at me," Edward confided as the three strolled back to the house.

"Don't worry. We've got your back," Jared volunteered as he smacked Edward on the back.

"As long as you bait your own hook. Pop'll make fun of ya if ya don't," Jake offered.

"I'll bait my own hook, you little smartasses. Now, go on," Edward ordered as he saw Charlie walk out the backdoor with two beers in his hands. _"One ugly situation down…one more to go," _Edward thought as he climbed the stairs.

"Beer?" Charlie offered. Edward took it from his hand, thanked him, and then sat down in the Adirondack chair next to the one where Charlie had settled. He was prepared to get to the bottom of what was going on, though he knew it would be difficult, but he felt like it was necessary.

The two men sat on the porch staring out at the lake through one beer without a word between them. Almost as if on cue, Renee stepped out on the porch with two more, smiling and announcing, "Can you start the fire soon? Bella and Edward brought hotdogs, and the boys want to roast them over the fire pit."

"Sounds great," Edward answered after a beat of silence wherein he believed that Charlie hadn't heard a word his wife had said.

When Renee went back inside, Charlie turned to Edward and asked, "Why didn't my daughter tell me what was going on?"

Edward thought about it, and the answer seemed pretty simple to him. "I believe you raised Bella to handle her problems on her own. I firmly believe that had I not been there to witness the discussion first-hand, she'd have never told _me_ about it. She's trying very hard to let me shoulder some of the burden, but it goes against the way she was raised. I'm not criticizing you for the values you instilled in your daughter, but I'll tell you, as the man who is in love with her and only wants to be there for her and the boys, it's been tough," Edward began.

He wasted no time telling Charlie about all of the times Bella had refused to ask for help, starting with her broken shoulder, touching on the time when she couldn't get to the electric company to pay the bill. He told him about Sam's lack of financial support that caused Bella much financial devastation, and he reiterated the fact that the discussion that Bella had with Sam earlier in the evening wasn't the first time that Sam had told her that he didn't have a problem relinquishing his parental rights. He told him about the fact that Sam bought a house in Alaska for his expanding family without a care or concern for his sons, and that led him to his part in their life.

"So, where we stand is that I love your daughter and her sons. I want to marry her, but she's not ready for that yet, so I'm waiting her out. As soon as Sam returns the papers, I plan to push her a little harder so that we can be married and begin the adoption process as soon as possible. Those boys, they deserve better than Sam Uley, and I'm really going to try to be that person. I don't know what your problem is with me, but I plan to be a father to those boys whether you agree or not," Edward stated authoritatively.

And then, he waited.

And, he waited, shifting uncomfortably in the chair.

And then he went to the kitchen, finding it empty. He grabbed two beers, and as he headed back outside, he grabbed the lighter fluid and a box of kitchen matches.

He handed Charlie a beer, and then he shuffled down the back stairs to the fire pit where the boys had stacked wood, and after he soaked it in lighter fluid, he walked back up the stairs of the porch and sat down…well, to wait some more.

After thirty minutes and two more beers that Jacob had brought out when he and Jared carried a plastic cloth and a few camp chairs down to the fire, Charlie Swan, the most enigmatic man who Edward had ever met in all of his life cleared his throat.

"I was wrong," Charlie stated without looking in Edward's direction.

Edward knew he was wrong about a lot of things, but he wasn't about to begin guessing which thing in particular the man was admitting to.

"I fucked up along the way, and well, I should have been there for Bells and the boys. It was wrong of me not to be. Don't make that mistake," Charlie commented quietly, rising from the chair and walking down to where Jake and Jared were setting up the chairs.

Edward knew that was about as much as he was going to get, so he took it and was actually grateful for it. He guessed that it was about as much as he'd _ever_ get from the man by means of support, so he wasn't going to second guess it. He was going to take it as a blessing that the man understood the situation and was supportive of Edward's plans for the Uleys. Now, if only he could get Bella to see it the same way.

##

"Put the tables over there. We'll set them up in the morning," Bella heard Edward call to Emmett and Jim Hornbeck. The block party was the next day, and it had been settled that it would take place on Bennett Circle since it was the middle street of Piney Woods.

After the announcement that the neighborhood had won the Garden Club contest, the block presidents had gotten together and planned the party. Bella had seen her sons at the end of the block making sure that no foliage from the garden had covered the coveted sign that had been planted at each circle.

After the camping weekend, something had shifted in her father which had her off-balance. He seemed to actually be happy about the fact that she and her sons were living with Edward Masen, and more often than not, she'd found her father stopping by in the morning for coffee with Edward before everyone left for work. She had no idea what had transpired, but after that tense Friday night, everything was different.

The men fished. She and her mother took long walks and talked, which was something that Bella cherished, and when everyone left the cabin on Sunday afternoon, there was actually a warm handshake between her father and Edward. The kiss on her cheek from her dad was as much of a surprise to her as the handshake had been.

"So, it's been what? Three months since you and the handsome Mr. Masen embarked on the freeway of love?" Rosalie teased as Bella helped her organize the dishes that had been dropped off for the next day. The McCarty's garage was full of coolers, and the fact that they had an extra refrigerator inside it had made it party central. The women had been busy all evening as neighbors stopped by to lend a hand, and Bella was grateful for the outpouring of camaraderie that permeated the neighborhood.

"Eleven weeks, but who's counting," Bella teased as she opened the cover on a large rubber bowl, seeing the seventh dish of coleslaw. There were grills on Mr. Hamm's driveway where the cooking would take place. There were tables and chairs on Edward's driveway which would be set up on the street in the morning, and there were decorations in Mrs. Cope's garage which would be put up the next morning.

"After getting to know your boys, I hope this little one is a boy," Rosalie announced as she rubbed her non-existent baby bump. She was eight weeks along and she wasn't showing, much to Bella's chagrin. She felt that as soon as she found out she was pregnant with the twins, she started to show. It wasn't that way with Rosalie.

"Well, frankly, I'd love a little estrogen on the block," Bella offered as she moved another container into the fridge.

Just then, the two heard a bubbly, "Hidey ho." Bella turned to see a petite blonde standing at the entrance to the garage. She had short hair and big boobs, which caused Bella to look down at her own breasts, finding them lacking.

"Jane, hi. Whatcha got?" Rosalie asked. "Jane" was Jane Vaughn, the mother of Kim and Vanessa, who Bella had yet to meet. She eyed the woman and determined that the girls must look like their father because both girls had to tower over their mother.

"Turtle brownies and…" _Please don't say coleslaw…please don't say coleslaw… _"coleslaw. It's my mother's recipe, and it's really good. It's not creamy so it won't make anyone sick," Jane volunteered. Bella heard Rosalie say "great" under her breath, and she stifled a laugh.

"Jane, this is Bella Uley. I don't think you two have had the opportunity to meet," Rosalie introduced as she took the two containers from the little blonde.

"Oh! You're Jake and Jared's mom. It's so nice to meet you. I've met Edward, and I have to tell you, you have three very good looking men living in your home," the woman commented. Bella didn't like it much at all.

"Hey, your husband isn't bad on the eyes either. I get up to puke about the same time he's going out for his run. You're a lucky woman," Rosalie replied. Bella saw her looking between the two women nervously, and she decided that she wouldn't be the cause for any consternation at the party.

"So we're both lucky. How are you settling in?" Bella asked, trying to curb her jealousy.

"We've finally got the pool regulated, so we'd like to invite you and yours down for a swim tomorrow evening after the party. We'll just have cocktails and light fare, but I know that the girls have been eager for the boys to come over to swim," Jane offered.

"We'd love to, wouldn't we Bella?" Rosalie prompted with a nudge that felt a lot more like a shove.

Just then, Edward and Emmett walked into the garage. Edward walked over to where Bella was standing and swept her into a kiss. "How much longer, love? The boys are going up to shower and go to bed. I say we have a nightcap on the deck and follow suit," Edward whispered as he kissed the side of her neck, signaling that he wasn't tired at all.

"Sure. Um, honey, Jane's invited us all to go for a swim tomorrow evening after the party. Do we have anything that would keep us from accepting the invitation? I've racked my brain and can't seem to think of a reason at all," she asked with saccharin in her voice. She saw him eye her carefully, and then turn to see Jane Vaughn standing there. It shocked her that he hadn't even noticed her when he walked in. It also made her quite happy.

"Oh, hello, Jane. I'm sorry, but I have tunnel vision when Bella's around. So, where's Demitri?" Edward asked.

"He's at a party for someone at work, as far as I know. So, tomorrow?" Jane asked again.

"Babe, as far as I know, we've got nothing. Alice's party is Sunday, so we're free tomorrow night unless you've made plans I don't know about," Edward replied.

"Oh, that's so sweet. Demitri doesn't ask me about anything. He just assumes I know. So, let's say seven? That should give us enough time to clean up everything, right? Oh, and our son, Seth, will be here tomorrow. I think he'll enjoy meeting everyone," Jane volunteered.

"Sounds good," Emmett commented as he handed Edward a beer from the fridge.

After good-byes were said, the McCarty's closed their garage door and stood on the driveway with Bella and Edward. "Okay, McCarty. What's the deal?" Bella asked Emmett, knowing that besides her sons and Mrs. Cope, Emmett McCarty knew more about the neighbors than anyone.

"She's number two. The kids are his, and they've only been married for about five years. Um, he's in his forties, and she's Edward's age. Anyway, he had a thriving business in Des Moines, but when they got married, she wanted to move closer to Sequim where her folks live. He runs shit from here, apparently. I actually checked him out, and he's on the up and up. He owns auto parts stores, and he's looking to expand here. I'd guess the tits aren't hers," Emmett informed, causing Bella to laugh. She loved his and Rosalie's no-bullshit air. It seemed to fit the couple perfectly.

"Well, I wonder if the previous owner misses them. Anyway, we'll see you guys in the morning," Edward announced as they said their good-nights to the McCartys.

Edward took her hand, led her across the yard around the side of the house to the deck. She was surprised to see a bottle of champagne in a silver bucket that she'd never seen before. There were candles on the table and a few on the rail of the deck. There were flowers as well, which surprised her, and Edward had a huge smile on his face. She had no idea what he was up to, but the way in which he went about it completely blew her away.

##

_Nervous enough to throw up_. That was exactly how Edward Masen felt that evening. He had plans, and he intended to follow through with them, despite the interruption by Jane Vaughn. He'd met her a few times, and he was less than impressed.

He led Bella around the house to the back deck where he'd disappeared earlier to set things up with the help of Jake and Jared. As he lit the candles, he remembered the discussion they'd had on Wednesday afternoon when he showed up to take them to lunch. They'd been surprised to see him, but when he offered to take them to a little barbeque stand off the main drag, neither boy complained.

"_So, this isn't a surprise, but I'd like to know what you think about this," he offered as he pulled the ring from the pocket of his slacks. He'd picked it out at a jewelry store in town, and he'd secured their word that they'd take it back for a full refund if Bella said no or the ring wasn't to her liking._

_It was a two carat, pear-shaped sapphire with a diamond surround. He'd wanted to buy her a big diamond but knowing Bella the way he did, he knew she'd never go for it. He'd believed that if he explained to her that the ring wasn't as expensive as it looked, she'd accept it. The wedding band though, she wouldn't have a say in when the time came._

"_Dude, that's huge," Jake offered between bites of his pulled pork sandwich. Jared only looked at the ring and smiled around his bacon cheeseburger._

"_It's a decent size, but it's not a diamond. Your mom would shit if I gave her a diamond, which was what I wanted to do, but I think she'll like this better. It was almost too easy to get her to accept the SUV. I'm not pushin' my luck," Edward volunteered as he closed the box and slipped it into his pocket._

"_So is that for her birthday or somethin'?" Jared asked. Edward hadn't realized that they wouldn't understand the meaning behind the ring. He wanted to laugh, but he didn't want to upset them, so he'd explained things to them as simply as he could._

"_No. The ring is for when I ask her to marry me. It's an engagement ring. I'm asking you guys what you think about me asking your mom to marry me," he offered._

_The two looked at each other and laughed. "You think she'll say yes?" Jake asked._

"_Leave the persuasion up to me, okay? I'm asking if this is okay with you guys?" he explained._

"_Like you want our permission or somethin'?" Jared asked. Edward nodded._

_The two conferred as they were known to do, and then they both nodded and turned to him. "Will you be good to our mom? She deserves someone to be good to her," Jacob levied._

"_I love her, and I believe you've seen that I treat her well. I have no plans to treat her any differently if she agrees to marry me," he answered._

"_And then, after you guys get married, you'll adopt us?" Jared asked._

"_As soon as we can make it happen, I promise," Edward told them._

_The twins conferred again and nodded to each other. "Have we won back your trust?" Jared asked._

_Edward remembered the discussion…his biggest fuck-up as far as he was concerned…and the answer was easy. "Most definitely. You guys, hell, you're great. We'll all mess up along the way, but I think we'll get through it as a family. So?" he asked nervously._

"_When you gonna do it?" Jared asked with a smile. That was as much of a blessing as Edward thought he'd get, so he simply told them he'd do it when the time felt right, and they'd enjoyed a great lunch._

_When he'd told them that it was that night while they were preparing for the block party, they'd been more than happy to help him get things ready and then make themselves scarce, though he was pretty sure that they were watching out Jake's bedroom window which he'd found out by accident peered directly down to the deck and straight into the Newton's yard. _

_Edward had found out Jessica Newton and Lauren Mallory liked to sunbathe topless. The boys' comments that their boobs looked nothing like the boobs in Playboy led to another conversation wherein Edward could tell they were both a little disappointed that all women's boobs didn't look like the girls in the magazine or like the topless sunbathers of Abingdon Place. In Edward's mind, it was just another of life's hard lessons._

"Wow, this is nice. What's the occasion?" Bella asked him as he pulled out a chair for her and opened the champagne, pouring two glasses.

"I need an occasion to show my girl how special she is? Do you _not_ know me?" Edward teased as he nervously pulled a chair closer to the one on which Bella rested.

She laughed. "Well, I know you pretty well, but if these surprises are in my future, I'm going to enjoy getting to know you better," she commented as she watched him fidget in his chair.

"Do you not feel like you know me well?" he asked with concern.

"Well, I think that getting to know someone takes a long time, so I don't think it's a bad thing that we're still learning things about each other. Keeps us from getting bored," Bella responded as she sipped the champagne.

Edward, unfortunately, didn't have it in him to sip. He gulped his glass, and then refilled his glass and topped off hers. He was trying to put the words together without much luck. He didn't know if he should just blurt it out or try to plan out an elaborate speech. He'd never proposed to a girl before, and at that moment, he really wanted to call his father or Carlisle for advice.

"Tomorrow should be fun. The boys told me that they invited Carlisle, Esme, and Alice. I'm really happy that they feel close to your family. It's good for them to have people in their lives that they care about," Bella remarked as she sipped her champagne.

That was his opening. It was almost as if it was sent from the heavens. "I agree. You know, there are a lot of people who care about you three, but I hope you know that I'm at the head of the line. I love you so much, Bella. You know that, right?" he asked nervously.

She looked at him with puzzled eyes. "I do, why? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Wrong? Absolutely nothing is wrong. Everything is perfectly right, as a matter of fact. It's so right that I'm just going to say this. Bella, will you marry me?" he asked as he looked deeply into her eyes, hoping and praying that she'd say yes.

He saw her blink and then gulp down her own champagne. He refilled her glass and looked into her eyes, seeing tears shining there. He prayed it was because she was touched and happy about the proposal, not because she was going to break his heart.

"Marry you? You're proposing? Isn't it too…too…" she sputtered nervously.

"Perfect? Yes, as a matter of fact, it is. It's absolutely the perfect time for me to beg you to marry me," he commented as he moved from his chair to his knees next to the chair in which she sat. He pulled the ring from his pocket and opened the box, showing her the token of his love.

He heard her suck in a quick breath, and then smile at him as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "There's no need to beg. I'd love nothing more than to marry you," she whispered as she kissed him gently.

He kissed her more passionately, and then slipped the ring on her finger. After a toast to the future, Edward picked her up and carried her inside, her giggling the whole time. He wasn't sure if it was from the champagne or if she was as happy about the engagement as he, but he wasn't going to question it.

After locking the bedroom door rather awkwardly because his arms were full of Bella as she was kissing his neck and biting his earlobe, he walked to the bed and dropped her onto it, hearing the welcomed giggle.

He dove into the bed next to her, and he laughed along with her. His heart was overflowing, and as he slowly removed her shorts and t-shirt, he showed her as much. When the green bra came off, he didn't hesitate to lavish kisses on the bounty that was exposed, and when the matching panties found themselves on the floor, he moved down her body and kissed her passionately in a place that only he'd ever kissed her before, hearing the sounds from her that he wanted to hear for the rest of his life…curses included.

When he worked his way back up her body, he peeled off his clothes, rather awkwardly considering that he refused to move from his position between her legs, and once he was as naked as the day he was born, he kissed the finger on which he'd placed the ring that symbolized his commitment to her.

"Bella, forever and a day," he told her before he gently moved himself so that he was encased inside her love. He was overwhelmed for a few seconds because as many times as the couple had made love and fucked, in equal parts, it felt different.

He was with the woman who would become his wife. She'd be his partner throughout the rest of his days on the earth, and while he didn't deem himself to be a sentimental sap, in that moment, he was very happy that he was cognizant enough of the enormity of the act to embrace it. She was his world, and he would show her every day for the rest of his life how much he adored and cherished her.

##

Jacob and Jared Uley had met Seth Vaughn the morning of the block party, and after a long discussion, they'd deemed that the guy might just be what Alice Cullen needed to get her mind off of Jasper Whitlock. They liked Jasper well enough, but they'd heard their mother and Edward discuss the age difference between Alice and Jasper, so they'd endeavored to vet their friends' older brothers to determine who would be worthy of Alice.

It had been an arduous process for them because they didn't want to piss off any of their friends, but they'd easily determined that Brady's brother, Colin was far too stupid for Alice. A girl like Alice could easily see that he wasn't good enough, so they didn't waste any time with him.

They'd covertly quizzed their customers about nephews or grandsons, but everything they heard left them thinking that there was no one out there who would be good enough for Alice. When they met Seth Vaughn, they knew immediately that he was their guy.

That decision was what had them engaged in a conversation with Seth regarding football until Alice showed up. Her birthday was the next day, and they hoped that they'd play their cards expertly enough so that Seth would be invited to the party that they knew her parents were planning.

"So, UDub? They got a good team this year?" Jacob asked as he tossed the football with Seth while Jared kept watch for the Cullens.

"Well, I hope so. I'm second string this year, but I've got high hopes. So, you guys like my sisters?" Seth asked as he lobbed a ball at Jacob which he almost dropped, not having anticipated the question. In his mind, they weren't there to discuss Vanessa and Kim. They were there to talk about Alice.

"Um, they're okay. They're actually pretty cool. Our, uh, cousin Alice likes 'em a lot," Jake responded, remembering that when he'd asked Edward what Alice would be to them after the wedding, it was determined that she'd be their cousin.

"Oh, the little dark-haired girl? Yeah, the twins told me about her," Seth replied as Jake lobbed the ball back to him.

"What did they tell you about her?" Jake asked as he threw what, in his mind was the perfect spiral. Seth caught it easily, which impressed Jacob immensely.

"Well, they said that she's cute and she's single. Why are you so worried about this?" Seth asked as he lobbed the ball back which went over Jacob's head.

"Because my little cousins are trying to be matchmakers. Hi, I'm Alice," Jake heard called from behind him as the football whizzed past his head with a whir. Seth caught it and smiled, which was all Jacob Uley needed to see. Seth looked at Alice the way that Edward had looked at their mom on more than one occasion. In his mind, the deal was set. Jasper Whitlock would be nothing but a distant memory.

\\\

_**E/N: Surprised? Yeah, maybe it's soon, but it's fiction and the man is in love. Someone mentioned he seems too nice. Well, maybe, but I actually met and married a guy like that, so I can attest that they do exist!**_

_**Let me know your thoughts! Thanks for reading!**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: HEAR YE! HEAR YE! Thank you all so very much for your reviews and favoriting and rec'ing and nominating…oh, yeah…this little fic got nominated for Fic of the Week over at The Lemonade Stand (tehlemonadestand . net). There's another day to vote, so please, after you read this installment, please go vote! **_

_**Scorpio11 – thank you for fixing this. I give you credit for this story getting any notice because you've made it so much better!**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. I just make poor Edward have sex talks with the boys! No infringement intended.**_

_**\\\**_

23.

##

"The bus is coming. Hurry up," Bella called up the stairs to her sons. It was the second week of school, and it had been a busy summer for all of them.

The boys had new bikes, thanks to the neighbors of Piney Woods. She and Edward were engaged. Alice was actually dating Seth Vaughn. Edward was busy with work, but was home every night with a huge smile on his face. Sam had returned the consent forms giving up his parental rights voluntarily. Edward was getting along with her father, going so far as to have breakfast once a week at the diner, and work was great for her.

She'd worked like crazy to train everyone on the new system, and thankfully, they'd all been studious so that she didn't have to dwell on any aspect. The files had been uploaded to the new server that Carlisle had purchased, and she actually had four more feet of office space. It wasn't without sacrifice from Carlisle, but he told her he'd give her a mile, so four feet wasn't that big of a deal at all.

Seth and Alice had caravanned to school and as far as anyone knew, they were getting along well, helping each other settle into college life. As far as Bella knew, Jasper was in South America or somewhere.

When she thought about it that morning as she sipped her coffee, things were actually going too well. In her world, things didn't work out perfectly where everyone got everything they wanted. Waiting for the other shoe was a pessimistic approach, but she was waiting for the other shoe.

Papers had been drawn up and signed naming Edward Masen, Jr., as legal guardian of Jacob and Jared Uley in the event that something ever happened to Bella, and she was happy about it. She knew that Edward would take care of her sons if something happened to her, and she rested easier at night with the information.

She knew that they had to endure the scrutiny of social workers and surprise visits before the adoption was final, but she felt like they were ready. Well, she hoped they were.

"Thanks," Jake called as he grabbed his lunch bag off the counter. Jared followed suit with a kiss to her cheek, and as she stood on the porch watching them hurry down the street with the few kids in the neighborhood, she knew that somewhere along the way, she'd made a good decision. Warm lips on her neck and hands around her resting on her waist only confirmed it.

"They were asking me whether they could stay after school to lift weights for football. Apparently, Diego Torres is a coach at the school, and he's willing to open the gym for the Pop Warner team after school. Did they ask you about it? I said it was okay," Edward told her as he stood behind her, holding her as he had many times before.

"Not a word, but I guess they don't feel like they need to if they have your permission," Bella laughed, so happy that her sons felt comfortable enough with Edward after only four months that they trusted his judgment. She trusted it as well.

"Hey, is that…" he began as he turned her around. Seeing him dressed for the day only confirmed to her that she was the luckiest girl on the planet.

"Stop. It's perfectly fine. They see you as their dad. In any normal family, as Dr. Smith told us, they'd only have to seek permission from one parent. Be happy that they feel comfortable coming to you, okay?" she asked as she kissed his chin.

After the phone call to their father while the family was at the cabin with Bella's parents, she'd called a children's therapist who Carlisle had suggested, and the whole family attended sessions every other week. The boys had individual appointments on Saturday mornings, and much to Bella's surprise, the sessions had seemed to help the boys work through some of the hurt their father had inflicted on them. The family sessions had also served to bring the four of them closer, which was something about which she could never be sorry.

"What's your morning like? Busy?" Edward asked as they stood on the porch in the September sunshine.

"Not really. I have a meeting this afternoon at the hospital, but not really anything pressing this morning. Why? Is something wrong?" Bella asked. Maybe it was the other shoe?

When he picked her up and carried her back inside the house, she knew it wasn't the other shoe that would drop that morning, it would be her panties. She had no complaints regarding his spontaneous determination that the two of them would take the morning off.

After phone calls to their respective offices that a house-related emergency had occurred, Edward reminded her of how great it was that the counter in the kitchen was at the exact height it was. When he was on his knees, it was the perfect height for him to show her the magic of his mouth, and when he was on his feet, well, there were really no words to describe what he showed her. She was happy that they only broke a hurricane lamp that had been a thank-you gift from Mrs. Cope after the block party.

##

"Boy Wonder, walk with me," Larry Burke called to Edward as he breezed by his office on a crisp late October afternoon. The rollout of the Volt campaign had been quite successful, and the targeted commercials had proven to be a continued source of customer-base for the company. Edward was happy. The partners of MB Marketing were ecstatic.

Edward caught up with his boss and waited. He hoped that there wasn't travel in his future because the football season was under way, and he loved going to the boys' games to cheer them on. They were both quite talented, and he was bursting with pride at the end of every game.

"What's up?" Edward asked as they strolled down the hallway toward the elevator.

"New campaign for you that I really think will be right up your alley. Its pro bono bullshit, but the Attorney General's office called to ask us to submit a proposal. Teen texting. You just finished the Volt campaign, and they've agreed to partner with us on this if you'll spearhead the project. Interested?" Larry asked as the elevator chimed.

When the doors opened Larry climbed on and looked at Edward for an answer. "I'm all over it," Edward called.

"Knew you would be. Call my secretary for the submission date," Larry responded as the doors closed.

Edward pumped his fist in the air because he'd landed his first PSA. While they weren't money makers, they were prestigious and usually went to the partners. If Larry Burke was giving him the reins on the campaign, it meant that he was on the right track…the partnership track…which would secure a good future for his family. It was everything he wanted, and he couldn't have erased the smile from his face for anything.

On his way home from work that day, he stopped and bought a bottle of champagne and a bottle of Sunny Delight, which was the boys' favorite.

Once his new family was assembled at the table on the deck, glasses filled appropriately, he toasted his good fortune. "Today, I was offered the opportunity to do something I never thought I'd get to do. As soon as you, my lovely fiancée pick a date, I'll get to do something else I never thought I'd get to do. For now, we'll toast to the future of my career. Soon, we'll toast to the future of our family," he announced, seeing Jake and Jared laugh and Bella smile. It was all he needed at that moment. The love of family would see him through anything.

##

"Ma, it's a dance, not a wedding. I don't need a suit," Jacob whined as Bella had the boys in Port Angeles at a men's clothing store to buy dress clothes for the fall mixer at the middle school. As far as she knew, they hadn't asked the Vaughn girls to be their dates, but she was sure they would, so she wanted to ensure that they had appropriate attire.

"It's not a suit. It's a pair of slacks and a sport coat. Quit fidgeting," Bella scolded as she adjusted the tan and navy herringbone sport coat. Jared's sport coat was black and white houndstooth with black slacks, and he seemed happy about it. She had a hard time dealing with the fact that the boys had grown so much, but standing in the fitting room at the store reminded her. It also reminded her that her babies were going to be twelve-years old in three days.

"Are you going to ask Vanessa?" Bella asked, pretending to be concerned about the fit of the jacket. The fact that her sons were growing up so fast was the only thought in her head that day, and while Edward had offered to take them to pick out clothing, she'd declined. It was something she felt was her responsibility, and she was happy to do it. She was also a little sad, but that was understandable, given that they were growing up before her very eyes.

The wedding had been set for the weekend before Christmas. It was to be at a small church in town with only close friends and family. A small reception at Carlisle and Esme's house would follow shortly after the ceremony. Alice was going to be her maid-of-honor, and Carlisle was going to be Edward's best man. Edward had tried to contact Jasper, against everyone's better judgment, but he couldn't find him. Carlisle had agreed happily to step in and didn't appear to be offended that he was the second choice.

"I like it. With a white shirt and a navy tie, I'd say that Vanessa doesn't stand a chance," Bella heard behind her, looking at their reflection and seeing Edward saunter in wearing a charcoal suit and red tie that she loved on him. He'd had a meeting in PA that afternoon, so she wasn't surprised he'd shown, but it was another thing that she loved about him…his unpredictability.

"I thought you were tied up," Bella commented as she picked up several ties and held them in front of a restless Jacob. She saw Jared sitting with his Volt Bolt, obviously texting, and all she could do was smile. They'd all come a long way.

"Hey, our sons are getting their first dress clothes to woo the ladies. I'm going to be here to offer my two cents. How's it going?" he asked as he kissed her neck and grabbed a blue tie from her, situating it around Jake's neck and tying a perfect full Windsor knot.

"There," he called when he'd finished. The trio stepped back as Jake took in his reflection, smiling.

"I like it. I say yeah," Jake answered, seeing Bella and Edward nod in agreement. After Jake changed, they made their way to the register to pay, where Edward produced a credit card, ignoring the arguments Bella put forth, and the four left the store, all happy about the purchases.

"How about we get dinner before heading home?" Edward asked his three companions.

"Sounds good. I'll ride with Edward," Jared volunteered as he made his way to the Mercedes after depositing the garment bag that held his clothes into the back of his mother's SUV.

The two vehicles caravanned to La Bella Luna, an Italian restaurant, and as they made their way inside, Edward told the hostess, "reservation for Masen." The young woman smiled and led them to a back room, which surprised Bella, but when the door opened, she was even more surprised, as were Jacob and Jared.

Before them in the room were Charlie and Renee, Ted and Liza Masen, Carlisle and Esme Cullen, Alice Cullen and Seth Vaughn, Kim and Vanessa Vaughn, Emmett and Rosalie McCarty, and countless other neighbors from Piney Woods. The number tallied somewhere around fifty, and they were quite amazed at the turnout. They'd never had a surprise party, and they were sure that the look on their faces gave it away, but neither boy cared.

The party got into full swing, and when it came time for the gifts, the boys dug in eagerly. The Masens bought them vouchers for travel to Chicago the next spring because they hadn't been able to go over the summer. There was the promise of the opening day game for the Cubs, and the boys were excited.

The Swans bought them new fishing rods, which made each boy happy. Their old ones were small, so the full-sized rods and reels were welcomed.

Carlisle and Esme gave them gift certificates for new games for the Wii that Edward had purchased for them when they moved in. That made them both very happy.

There were numerous other gifts from those in attendance and a great meal, followed by two cakes. After the candles were blown out, cake was served. Edward leaned to them and smiled. "Your mom and I have your gifts at home that we'll give you on your actual birthday," he said with a smile. The night was perfect for the Uley boys, and they were certain they'd never forget it as long as they lived.

After the boys were tucked in that night, Bella turned to her fiancé and smiled at him. "Come with me, Mr. Masen." She took his hand and led him up the stairs where she quickly undressed him as he stood next to the bed with his tongue shoved in her mouth.

"Hey, I'm not questioning this little spontaneous seduction because it's been a few days, but what's brought this on, love?" he asked quietly as Bella pulled his belt from his suit trousers, winding it around her hand and depositing it on the dresser.

"I need a reason to show my wonderful fiancé how special he is? Well, okay. Um, let's see," she whispered as she pulled his starched cotton shirt from his trousers, having removed his tie and jacket already, and began unbuttoning the placket while looking deeply into his green eyes.

"I have the great fortune of being engaged to an extremely handsome man who not only loves me and surprises me on a daily basis, he loves my sons and has taken in stride the crash course in parenting two eleven-year-old boys that fate has dealt him. He planned a surprise party for them without any direction from me, and he's changed everything in our world in the time we've known him. He shows us every day that he loves us, and I hope we return the sentiment, but there are times when a woman needs to make it blatantly clear that he's the most important person in her world. How's that?" Bella asked.

Edward smiled at her and seized her mouth in a searing kiss at her appraisal of their relationship just as she slipped the shirt from his shoulders. He returned the favor by unzipping the dress she was wearing and quickly shoving it down her shoulders to pool at her bare feet, looking approvingly at her standing before him in a matching bra and panties.

The two of them began moving rather quickly after that to rid themselves of the remainder of their clothes, and they climbed into bed once the bedding had been turned down.

Edward settled between her legs and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you so much, Edward," she responded. Without hesitation, he stroked into her and began swirling his hips in the fashion that made her eyes roll back in her head and her breathing pick up.

The nipping on her neck and the strokes of his huge cock into her served to remind her that she was desired by the most handsome man she'd ever met. His gasps as she wrapped her legs around his tight ass and spurred him to move faster made her smile and giggle. The responding chuckle from him and the swirl of his tongue around her left nipple gave her the confidence to push on his shoulders to signal him to roll them over and allow her to take control of the encounter.

"Okay, baby. I'm all yours. Feel free to take advantage of me," he teased her. She leaned down to kiss him on his perfect lips, and then she braced her palms on his rock-hard chest and moved on him like a jockey on a thoroughbred.

"Fuck," he gasped as she moved her hands behind her and rested them on his thighs, changing his angle of entry inside her body.

"God, I'm so close," she whispered as she slowed a bit and moved in a more sensual rhythm, sending both of them off the cliff at the same time with ragged breaths and soft cries of pleasure.

Edward pulled her down on top of his chest by her neck, and he kissed her for being the powerful woman she was, not afraid to claim pleasure from his body, giving it back to him in return in a way he'd never known in his life.

When he slipped from her body, he held her on top of him and thanked the heavens for her. Bella Uley was his and he was hers, and he'd never felt more complete in his life. The smiles at the house on Bennett Circle were quite plentiful that night.

##

"Okay, everyone, big smiles," Bella instructed the four young people standing in the living room. It was the night of the mixer, and Demitri and Jane Vaughn had agreed to drop off the quartet at the school if Bella and Edward would pick them up at ten when the dance was over.

"God, Ma. How many more?" Jacob complained as he tugged on his collar. The Vaughn's were in the living room taking pictures as well, and Bella could tell that her sons were at the end of their patience.

"Just a couple more. Let's have Jane and Demitri with Vanessa and Kim, and then Bella and me with you boys," Edward suggested as he took the camera from Demitri. The family posed, and he snapped a few pictures.

"Oh, crap. Wait a minute," Bella called. She ran into the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator, collecting the small wrist corsages and boutonnières that she'd picked up that Friday afternoon on her lunch break. For the boys, she'd purchased white calla lilies, and for the girls, she'd purchased white roses.

She returned to the living room and handed the boxes to the boys to present to the girls. She didn't appreciate the eye rolling from her sons as they accepted the see-through plastic containers. After the boys presented the flowers to the girls, Bella pinned the lilies on her sons' lapels with a kiss on each of their cheeks. She held her tears until the front door closed, signaling that the Vaughns and the Uley boys had left, and then she felt two strong arms pull her into their embrace as she watched the boys open the doors of the large van for the girls.

"Honey, it's just the first of many dances. You'll get so used to it that eventually, you probably won't even feel the need to go peak through the gym windows like I know you and Esme are planning to do while Carlisle and I watch '_True Grit'," _Edward teased, holding her close and allowing her to cry.

"How'd you know?" she asked as she looked up at him, seeing his glowing smile. He dried her tears with his thumbs and kissed her forehead gently.

"Well, I guessed it would be something of the sort because you and Es have been whispering on the phone all week, but I know that the woman I love would do nothing less than spy on her sons to ensure that they were having a good time at their first dance. Add in the fact that you're wearing a black turtleneck and black slacks, and that lame ass excuse of going to shop for drapes on a Friday night? Do better next time, will ya? Now, wait here," he called to her.

He walked away and returned a moment later with a small wrist corsage with a beautiful white orchid on the top. He slipped it on her wrist and kissed her lips gently. Feeling his soft lips against hers almost made her reconsider the plans she and Esme had made, but she knew there'd be many opportunities to make love to her fiancé. There would only be one first dance for her sons, and as hovering as it appeared to be, she just had to check on them.

"What's this for?" she asked Edward as she lifted her wrist to smell the orchid. He was certainly one of the most thoughtful men she'd ever met in her life.

"Hey, just because I'm not going to the dance with my girl doesn't mean that she shouldn't have a flower. I've got champagne chilling for after the boys go to bed. Don't stay gone too long, okay? I think if they see both of us skulking outside the gym of the school because I have to come looking for you, they'll be really pissed," Edward teased as he kissed her nose.

"Thank you. I love you so much," she told him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into another heated kiss to remind him that she thought he hung the moon and the stars.

It was true. She believed that if there was ever a man who had been created for just one woman, it was Edward Masen for her. She'd believe it until the day she died.

##

"So wait…like somebody else wore this before us?" Jared asked Edward as the three of them stood in the formal wear shop for the boys to get fitted for tuxedos for the wedding. It was a month before the nuptials and a few days before Thanksgiving, and while Edward had considered buying them all tuxes, Bella reminded him how much the boys had grown since the summer. He acquiesced that it wasn't financially feasible to purchase tuxedos for the twins at their ages, so they were being fitted for rentals. Edward had already been fitted for his new Armani tux, and it was being tailored. They'd all chosen classic black, so it wouldn't be noticeable that Jake and Jared's were rentals.

"Well, yes, but they _are_ dry cleaned between rentals. You don't need to worry about what anyone did in it the last time," Edward assured as the man pinned up the hem of the slacks, adjusting the break to Edward's specifications.

"Dude, that's really kind of gross," Jacob announced as he walked out in the slacks for his tuxedo. Thankfully, the shop carried tall sizes because it seemed that Jacob had hit another growth spurt since his birthday. When he'd tried on his dress slacks the night before that he was to wear to the rehearsal dinner, Edward saw that they probably wouldn't be long enough by the time of the occasion, so he'd called his friend and personal shopper, Carmen, and asked her to ship the next size to his home overnight so that the tailor could alter those as well.

"If you guys were done growing, we'd get you your own, but at this stage of the game, it would be like tossing money into a paper shredder. So, you never told me much about the dance. I know your mom embarrassed you with all the pictures, but I appreciate you going along with it. It meant a lot to her," Edward told them as he pointed out to the tailor that Jared's pants' legs weren't even.

"Yeah, we know. Anyway, not much to tell," Jacob responded as another tailor began adjusting his tuxedo pants to pin the hem.

"Bullshit. You and Vanessa disappeared for half-an-hour. I had to keep coverin' for you with Coach. Be glad Mom didn't notice that suck mark on your neck," Jared volunteered.

Edward looked at Jacob's reflection in the mirror, seeing his face blazing red which gave credence to Jared's comment. He saw Jacob's mouth open to protest, and he held up his hand. "Don't even try to lie. I guess we need to have another talk on the way home. I'm telling you, I'm way too young to be a grandfather. I'm barely getting a grasp on this _dad_ stuff," Edward announced, seeing the tailors smirking as they continued their tasks.

"It wasn't Vanessa," Jake responded quickly, stopping Edward in his tracks.

"Well, who the hell was it?" Edward asked, nervous for the answer.

"Mary Ellen Dingle," Jacob answered. Edward saw Jared's eyes widen to the size of silver dollars.

"I-Live-to-Mingle Dingle put that hickey on your neck? Damn, she's fifteen," Jared volunteered. Edward guessed that the nickname was a telling indication of the young girl's reputation. The fact that she was three-years older than Jacob had Edward worried that maybe he needed to have an even more in-depth discussion with them than he'd planned. He wasn't looking forward to it.

"Yep, but if you say a word about it, I'll beat your ass," Jake threatened his brother.

"Enough," Edward announced because he wasn't appreciating the looks that the boys salty language was garnering from the two employees.

After the fittings were concluded, the boys went to change. "Okay, I'll get them picked up the sixteenth and pay the extra rental. What time do you close on the nineteenth?" Edward asked as he walked to the cash register to pay for the rentals and the tailoring of Jacob's slacks.

"We close at six on Sundays," the older man told him as he typed the orders into the computer.

"We'll drop them off on our way to Seattle," Edward announced as Jacob and Jared walked back to where he stood at the register.

"Why are you going to Seattle?" Jared asked as he looked at the cuff links in the case. Edward pointed to the ones on the sleeves of his dress shirt because he could see that the boys had no idea what they were.

"_We're_ going to Seattle. That's where planes fly from. Don't tell your mom because it's a surprise," Edward told them.

"What's a surprise?" Jake asked, suddenly paying attention.

"If your mom finds out, I'm taking away your Wii, laptops and locking you in your rooms until New Year's. Got it?" Edward threatened without much weight behind it.

"Hey, we need those laptops for school," Jared defended. Edward had bought them laptops for their birthdays. He'd justified it that they needed them for school, but he knew better than anyone in the room at the time that the boys used them more for surfing porn and gaming than homework.

"Yeah, that shit only works on your mom. Anyway, we're going on a trip for Christmas and our honeymoon. We'll be gone until New Year's Day," he informed the boys, seeing their faces light up at the news.

He and Bella had planned to wait to go on their honeymoon until Spring Break when the boys were going to Chicago to visit the Masens, but the more he thought about it, the more he decided that they were a family, and they should celebrate the marriage as a family.

After some research, he found a Disney hotel on Oahu that seemed to fit the bill. The _Aulani Beach Resort_ in Hawaii offered everything he believed would keep the boys entertained as well as provide Bella and him with the romantic honeymoon he'd hoped to deliver. Keeping it a secret had been very difficult, and it was actually a relief to tell the boys.

"Where we goin'?" Jake asked.

"Nuh-uh. Jared can't lie to your mom for shit, and I can guarantee you that if she knew what I've got planned, she'd shut us down. As it stands, I'm gonna have to get Esme and Alice to pack for her while I get her out of the house for some reason. Let's just say that we're all gonna love it. Well, I hope we do after your mom gets finished having a tantrum," Edward commented, causing both boys to laugh.

The three got into the car to head back to Forks, and he knew he needed to talk to them about sex. The ride from Port Angeles to Forks was long enough to get his points across, but not too long for the three of them to have to be uncomfortable around each other after he'd said his piece.

"Now, about this Dingle girl. I know you two know what intercourse is because I've checked your internet histories, which by the way, you need to learn how to erase in case your mom ever checks your laptops. While you might be able to physically have sex, you're far too young emotionally to handle it. Sex is definitely something that you need to be ready for, and at twelve, you're not. I can't tell you when you'll be ready, but I can tell you it won't be for a few years. Don't look at this as me telling you you can't, okay? I'm telling you that you shouldn't.

"It's not really something I can explain to you yet, but a lot of responsibility comes with having sex, and you guys are just starting to get interested in girls. You've got a long way to go before you get there," he told them as he pulled onto the highway, studying the road and traffic patterns more than he ever had in his life to keep from looking at them.

"Why is it such a big deal?" Jacob asked from the passenger seat. Edward looked in the rearview mirror to see Jared glowing in the back seat, so he knew that Jacob was the more mature of the two and would be his biggest problem.

"There are two ways to look at sex. One is a means to an end. What I mean by that is that you get the physical gratification, which I believe you know what I mean because you both spend a lot of time in your rooms. The other way is to have a connection…the most intimate connection…with another person. That comes with maturity. If you have sex with the right person, you'll never have a more fulfilling experience," Edward began, glancing in Jake's direction and seeing that the boy was completely lost.

"Okay, let's start over. When you meet the right girl for you, after you get to know her and spend time with her, you'll have natural urges to show her physically how you feel about her. That's the connection I'm talking about. If you have sex with the right girl at the time when you're _both_ ready for it, it will mean a lot more to both of you than if you just jump into it with the first girl who agrees. Trust me, over time, you'll think there are a lot of girls who are the right girls, but when that _one_ girl comes along, you'll wish that you'd waited for her.

"Don't jump into sex because your friends are doing it. You'll get a reputation that you're only out to get into a girl's pants, and decent girls won't want to come near you. Also, when you finally take that step, please, I beg you, use a condom. If you're too embarrassed to go to the store and buy them, you're definitely too young for sex," Edward explained, waiting for questions.

The trio rode in silence for ten full minutes before Jared slapped his hand over his mouth. "Wait, you and Mom don't…" he began.

"Oh, God, don't finish that," Jacob complained.

Edward felt his face flush as the realization settled in that they weren't stupid enough not to put it together. He hadn't even considered that they would, but now that it was out there, he wasn't exactly sure how to broach the subject.

"For your own sakes, I strongly urge you to put _that_ out of your heads," he recommended before he turned up the volume on the radio, hoping it was the end of the discussion.

As they pulled into the driveway on Bennett Circle, Edward saw Bella carrying in groceries. The boys hopped out of the car as he shifted into park on the driveway. Without looking their mother in the eye, he saw them grab the groceries from her and run into the house.

He hopped out of the car and walked over to where she stood dumbfounded, kissing her gently behind the cover of the car. When he pulled away, he saw the smile on her face. "What's wrong with them? Did you guys have a fight?" Bella asked him.

Edward grabbed a large pack of toilet paper and a twelve-pack of beer from the back, closing the door on the SUV. "No, babe. We just had another discussion about how fast they're growing up. Only a month until you're a Masen. The clock is ticking on changing your mind, you know," Edward commented, hoping he'd changed the subject and that she hadn't changed her mind.

He saw the slow smile on her face. "So, whatever happened in that car has you rethinking this whole thing?" Bella asked him with a laugh in her voice.

"HA! Nice try, but not a chance," he told her as they walked toward the house. There was no way he was letting her get away. He'd worked too hard to get to the point they were at in their relationship. For him, there was no turning back.

\\\

_**E/N: Well, well….Jacob Uley, playa! Oh, and that comes back to bite him in the ass! Let me hear from ya! Oh, and please go vote!**_

_**Thank you so much for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N: Thank you for your love, support, and reviews of this story. I really, really appreciate the way in which you've embraced these characters. I love them so much, and the fact that you've taken them into your hearts and truly care about them makes me quite happy.**_

_**Scorpio11 – Thank you so much for your insight and thorough review of this story, making it better in the process. Kisses!**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No infringement intended.**_

_**\\\**_

24.

##

After dinner that night, the boys went to their rooms to finish homework while Edward went to his study to work. Bella was sitting in the living room folding laundry while a cooking show droned in the background. She wasn't really paying attention to what was taking place in Arena Stadium, nor was she concentrating on the secret ingredient which was sea urchin. She'd never seen one, much less contemplated a recipe in which one would play a key role, so the show was on merely for its noise factor.

No, Bella wasn't contemplating how to prepare a sea urchin that evening. She was contemplating how her life, and by extension, her sons' lives, had changed so substantially since the middle of May when they'd first met Edward Anthony Masen, Jr. He'd brought a lot of changes into their lives, none of which were unwelcome, and she truly wished she knew who to thank for the circumstances that brought him to them, regardless of how ridiculous they actually were at the time.

When she thought back to the story of what had brought him to her yard the night that she fell from the large oak, she laughed out loud. "What's so funny?" Jared asked as he and Jacob strolled into the living room.

"Nothing…everything. What's up? Homework done?" she asked as she stacked the folded clothing back into the laundry basket. Jacob went to the kitchen and pulled out a carton of ice cream and dropped it with a "clunk" onto the counter to thaw a bit.

It was a new routine that the family had fallen into at the end of the day. Everyone sat in the living room and had a dish of ice cream, and then showers were taken and good-nights were said. They were a little early, as Bella noticed on the clock on the cable box, and she wondered what brought them into the living room at 8:30 on the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving.

"So, only half a day tomorrow?" she asked the boys, seeing them looking nervous.

"Yeah. Alice sent a text that she'll be home around 6:00 tomorrow evening. We, um, we have a question," Jared began.

Bella put the television on mute and turned all of her attention to her sons. "Okay…let's have it," she urged.

The two looked at each other uncomfortably, and she wondered if it was the type of question for which she'd need Edward, but then again, she couldn't really rely on him to be the only person in the house to talk to them about sex. If they had questions, she had to buck up and talk to them.

"Well, we were hopin' that you could tell us…" Jared began, looking at Jake for the usual reinforcement that only his blunt brother could provide.

"Guys, if this is about sex…" she began, taking the bull by the horns.

"God, no…we're wondering what we should call Edward. You know…_after_?" Jake began.

Bella pondered their question, and she wanted to laugh, but because they were both so earnest she knew she couldn't. "Um, well, okay. I would say that you call him what makes you comfortable. Do you have any ideas about what you'd like to call him?" she asked.

She saw them look at each other, and she knew how serious they were. She thought it was incredibly sweet of them to worry about the proper way to address Edward after the wedding, but she felt that the best way to handle the situation was for them to actually feel _him_ out about the way in which he wanted to be addressed.

"We call your dad 'Pop', and we've taken a survey from our friends who have stepdads, but actually, Edward won't be our stepdad after the adoption, right?" Jacob asked. Bella agreed.

"So, what should we call him?" Jared asked. She almost laughed at the way they finished each other's thoughts and sentences.

"Well, um, I'm pretty sure that Edward would be fine if you continued to call him Edward. I mean, you have a Dad, even though…" she began, remembering the situation under which they were operating. Sam had given up his rights, so legally they didn't have a dad any longer.

"We don't have a dad anymore. He dumped us for his new family," Jacob snapped. At that point, Bella wasn't exactly sure what to say. She knew that they needed to schedule another appointment with Dr. Smith because the fact that their father had given them up without so much as a second thought would have far reaching implications for them for years to come.

It wasn't exactly the way she'd hoped things would work out, but it was exactly what she was facing. She had no idea what to say to them, much less what advice to give.

"Hey, is it time for…what's wrong?" Edward asked as he ambled into the living room in sweats and a t-shirt looking concerned.

"Honey, nothing's wrong, exactly. It's just that the boys are worried about what to call you after we're married and after the adoption goes through," Bella answered as she made room on the couch for him. He sat down and threw his arm around her shoulders, kissing her temple which provided comfort and support, just as it did every time he'd proffered it.

Edward chuckled. "I'd guess you'll have a lot of colorful names for me over the years, guys. What…what were you thinking?" he asked as he looked into their eyes where they sat on the floor facing the couch, backs to the television which clearly surprised him.

Jacob looked at Jared and arched his eyebrows, which told Bella that the opening statements were left to Jared. He cleared his throat and looked at the two of them. "We talked about it. We call Charlie 'Pop', and we don't call Harold anything because he doesn't come around. I…we…think it would be hard to call Charlie anything else, so that leaves us with what to call you. We don't feel right calling you Edward if you adopt us because…um…you'll actually be our dad, but we don't know if you'd like us to call you that," Jared explained.

Bella saw Edward's face freeze, and she saw his eyes well up. She knew he wouldn't want to show that much emotion in front of the boys, so she stated, "Edward, do you mind seeing if the ice cream is thawed? I'll be in there to help in a minute." He rose quickly from the couch and walked away without looking back.

"He's not pissed, is he?" Jacob asked.

"Jacob Charles, are you _craving_ soap?" Bella teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Ma, sorry, but we didn't mean to put him on the spot," Jacob responded.

"I don't think you put him on the spot. I think you took him by surprise. He cares about the two of you very much, and the fact that you are worried about how to address him took him by surprise. What do you want to call him?" Bella whispered to her sons.

Meanwhile, Edward was pacing in the kitchen, wondering what the hell to tell Jared and Jacob. He had an idea in his head that he never thought would settle there. He didn't know how to tell them what he'd prefer to hear, but if they really wanted to know, he'd swallow the lump in his throat and tell them, though he'd rather they arrived at the title on their own.

He dished up three bowls of rocky road, knowing that he and Bella would share one, and he walked back into the living room. He set the bowls down with spoons and sat down next to Bella, offering her the bowl that they'd share as he always had in the past.

After a few minutes, he swallowed a bite and tossed out, "If you wanna call me Dad, I'd like that. If you wanna stick with Edward, I'm fine with that, too."

He saw them nod in agreement though he didn't know what they'd settled on, but he could wait. He had no idea it was so important to them, but it would be their decision.

After the ice cream was finished, Jared took the bowls to the kitchen as they finished watching "Iron Chef," and when he returned to the living room, Bella saw them share a look. "We're headed up. Love you guys," Jake announced as he, followed by Jared, hugged Bella.

Just as they were about to walk out of the room, Edward rose from the couch and called, "Hey, where's the love here?" in a teasing manner.

Both boys turned around and returned to where Edward stood, hugging him just as he hoped they would. "G'night Dad," Jared replied, followed by Jacob with the same sentiment.

After they walked upstairs, Edward sat down on the couch and looked into the distance. Bella scooted closer to him on the couch and put her head on his shoulder. When she saw the wetness on his shirt, she turned her head to see a few tears streaming down his face.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked apprehensively.

"Wrong? Absolutely nothing. God, I've got two sons," he whispered as he dried the tears on his face, causing her to shed a few of her own.

She wasn't sure if it was the first time it actually settled with him, but if it was, then that was fine. She was proud of her sons for recognizing the fact that Edward Masen was a wonderful man, and he wanted to be there for them, despite his young age. When they confessed that they wanted to call him 'Dad' it nearly took her to her knees. It was more than she ever expected.

##

"Mrs. Uley?" a man asked when Bella answered the phone in her office at Carlisle's practice. She was clearing up her desk to leave for the long weekend, and she was running late. Everyone was meeting at Esme and Carlisle's house that evening for the women to begin preparations for Thanksgiving the next day while the men helped Carlisle hang Christmas lights. She still had to go by the store and pick up canned pumpkin for the pies she'd planned to make, and the boys were at home eagerly waiting for her to pick them up.

"Yes, this is Bella Uley. How may I help you?" she asked as she logged out of the office network.

"My name is Jason Jenks. I'm the attorney that Edward Masen has been dealing with regarding your claim against William Black, your landlord. They proposed a settlement for your contents, and if you agree, they'll cut you a check and deliver it to you by Friday," the man informed her.

She had no idea that Edward had pursued legal action on her behalf. They'd talked about it at the time of the fire, but she'd never followed up on it. She was kicking herself for not following through, and she was grateful that he had.

"Oh, um, okay. What's their offer?" she asked as she sat down at her desk to give the man her undivided attention.

"Well, since we didn't have an itemized accounting of the contents, I went with a general offer, and based on the fact that Mr. Black has his hands full with the city and county regarding multiple fire code violations at many of his rental properties, they accepted without much argument. Edward gave me a general accounting of your contents, so I suggested that they pay you seventy-five thousand dollars.

"They argued at first, but I reminded them that you're a single mother who lost all of the memories of her sons' childhoods, in addition to all of your earthly possessions which will be a hardship to replace, so in order to keep you from taking Mr. Black to court, they agreed. Is that amount of money fair to you?" he asked her.

She couldn't imagine how to answer because it was too much to fathom that she'd ever receive anything from the fire. She felt that she needed to speak with Edward because she had no idea what was the proper response. "Mr. Jenks, can I call you back? I need to speak with Edward," she replied.

"I'll be here until 5:00 PM," he answered, and then gave her the number to call him back. After she hung up, she called Edward at his office.

"Mr. Masen's office," she heard his assistant answer.

"Siobhan, its Bella. Is Edward available?" she asked.

"Sure, hon, hang on," Siobhan responded, and then Bella heard the muzak that played over the telephone system.

After a minute, he answered, "Hey, babe. What's up?" It always made her heart flutter when he addressed her so affectionately.

"I just got a call from a lawyer you hired to represent me against Billy Black? Did you tell me you hired someone and I just don't remember?" she asked. She heard him cough a little like he did when he was uncomfortable, which led her to believe that he had _not_ told her.

"I didn't mention it in case nothing could be done. I didn't want to get your hopes up, sweetheart," he explained.

She smiled at his concern, and answered, "They accepted the offer of seventy-five thousand. Do you think I should take it?"

"Shit, really? Does it seem fair to you?" Edward asked.

"More than, considering the fact that I didn't think I'd get anything," she responded.

"Then, hell, I'd call him back and tell him you accept it before they change their minds. Thank God something went right for once," Edward replied, reiterating the same thing that had run through her head at the realization that maybe, just maybe, something would go her way for once.

As she considered everything she'd be able to accomplish with the money, she thanked the heavens because she'd be able to actually do something on her own for once.

She could put some of the money away for the boys' education and pay off her credit card before she and Edward married. She wasn't one who actually looked for a silver lining, but in that moment, she felt like she'd found one.

"Okay. I'll call him, and then I'm leaving. I'll see you at home," she called to Edward over the line. After they hung up, she actually danced around her office before she called the attorney to tell him to accept the offer. She truly hoped that it was a sign that things were looking up for her and her sons. All signs indicated that they were, it was just harder for her to believe it.

##

"Boys! I'm home," Edward called as he walked into the house. It was only 2:00 PM, but he knew the boys only had school until noon because of the holiday.

His plan was to take them to Esme and Carlisle's before Bella got home so that they could have a little time to themselves. It had been a few days since they'd made love, and his body was telling him that it was too long.

When he'd spoken to her on the phone earlier, he heard how happy she was with the settlement, and with the homestretch of the wedding approaching, he wanted to take advantage of any unfettered access he could get.

Jared and Jake trotted down the stairs to greet him in the kitchen as he sorted through the mail. "Dad," they both called, causing a huge smile to find a home on Edward's face.

"How was school?" he asked as he threw away the junk mail and began opening the bills that were addressed to him.

"Well, word circulated all over school that Jake felt up Mingle Dingle. It's only a matter of time before Vanessa finds out and beats his ass," Jared volunteered as he walked to the fridge and pulled out cold cuts to make a sandwich.

Before Edward could comment, the doorbell rang. "Jake, would you?" he asked as he continued to sort through the mail.

"I got it," Jacob called as he jogged toward the front door.

Edward was all too familiar with the phrase "a woman scorned." He'd had several ex-girlfriends, or girls who _thought_ that they were girlfriends, take news badly. It was never a pleasant position in which to be, but it happened to him on more than one occasion.

When he and Jared heard, "You bastard," followed by a loud smack, Edward knew who was at the door and exactly what had happened. By the look on Jared's face, he could tell that even the inexperienced male could discern the sound of another guy being slapped in the face.

"I told him. Dingle has been around more bases than Jose Batista. He had to know that Vanessa would find out," Jared commented.

Edward walked to the freezer and scrounged around a little until he found a bag of frozen corn. He tossed it on the counter and removed his jacket, preparing to explain to Jacob why it was never a good idea to cheat on a woman, regardless of her age.

When Jake walked back into the kitchen with the stunned look on his face along with the distinctive handprint, Edward instructed, "Put this on your face. Damn, she got you good. Sit."

Both boys sat down after Jacob grabbed the bag of corn and held it to his cheek, waiting for whatever wisdom Edward would impart.

"As a rule of thumb, it's never a good idea to take one girl to a dance, and then sneak off with another. Now, I don't know where Vanessa was when you were making out somewhere with this Dingle girl, but only a fool thinks that word won't circulate through the gossip mill. Every social setting, be it middle school, high school, college, the workplace, or the Elks Club, has a gossip mill. Nobody is immune to it, and while most of the shit that circulates is just that, there's usually a kernel of truth.

"You, my son, are a victim of it, but you aren't without fault. Now, what lesson have you learned from all of this?" Edward asked as he checked his watch to see that it was nearly 2:30, and it wouldn't be long before Bella was home and his window of opportunity slammed shut.

He saw Jake look at Jared, and then chuckle. "Ask who's at the door?" Jake answered, causing all three of them to laugh.

"Yeah, that's one thing. Anything else?" Edward asked.

"Oh hell yeah…never piss off Vanessa again," Jake answered, causing the three of them to laugh again.

"I was going for don't think your actions won't make it back to your girl, but yeah, I don't think I'd piss off Vanessa again. And, I remind you of the discussion we had regarding respect for women. You took Vanessa to that dance, and as her date, you were obligated to stick with her. I don't give a rat's ass what that Dingle girl promised. It's never gonna be acceptable to piss off your date, okay? Get your shit together. I'm gonna drop you two off at Es's house and then your mom and I will be there in a little while. We need to talk about household stuff, and I think you'd find it all very boring," Edward lied.

The twins looked at each other and laughed. "Sure, Dad, _we_ believe you," Jared responded as Jake tossed the bag of corn back into the freezer and the two of them hurried up the stairs.

Edward went to the room he shared with Bella and changed into jeans and a sweater, thinking the whole time about how easy they'd be for Bella to peel off of him when she got home. He hurried back downstairs, and when the boys finally surfaced, he drove them to his sister's house.

"Alice should be around soon. We'll be back in a little while," he told the boys. They both smirked, which he didn't appreciate, and then they ran inside the house just as Esme and Carlisle had told them they could do.

They were family, and they didn't have to knock. He knew that they appreciated it, and he was quite happy that they accepted it. Edward looked forward to family holidays more than he ever had now that he had Bella and the boys in his life. He knew they'd be wonderful memories that he'd carry with him forever.

##

Bella pulled into the garage and nearly drove through the back wall because she wasn't used to driving in the pink Wellies with yellow ducks that Edward had bought her for the rainy winter. She'd been grateful that they were in her office when she finally got out of the building that Wednesday afternoon, especially in light of the fact that she had to stop at the store to pick up a few things. Driving in them, however, had proved difficult.

She made her way inside, seeing the kitchen empty, so she yelled, "I'm home! Anybody here?" Edward's car was in the garage, but it had rain on it, so she assumed he'd just gotten home. The house was unusually quiet, which worried her.

"Up here, love," she heard yelled back from up the stairs. She slipped off the wet boots and her raincoat, hanging it on the hook in the laundry room, and then quickly hurried up the stairs to find Edward in the bedroom, sitting on the side of the bed with his BlackBerry in his hands. When he saw her, he tossed it on the bedside table and walked over to where she was standing.

"Where are the boys?" she asked as she turned to the dresser to slip off her watch and wait for his answer.

When his warm lips made purchase with her neck, she smiled. "Mmm. The boys are at Es and Carlisle's to wait for Alice and help Carlisle stack wood or something. We're not expected to be there before five o'clock. I'd say we take advantage of a little bit of time with just the two of us," he whispered against her neck as he reached around her body and began unbuttoning her blouse. His lips lavished kisses on her neck and shoulders as he removed her blouse and then her bra, causing an immediate reaction in her body that wasn't unfamiliar.

"God, this is exactly what I need," she replied with a contended sigh. It had been several days since she'd felt his weight on her, and her body craved his. He flipped open the button on her slacks and tugged down the zipper. Quickly, he moved his hand down into her panties, finding the spot on her body that absolutely drove her to madness.

"I want you," he whispered to her as his fingers moved inside her body, causing her to lose the ability to speak for a moment.

When she found her voice, she whispered, "Oh, God, I _really_ want you, too," as she felt her body begin to spiral into the clouds.

Before she knew what was happening, Edward backed the two of them up to the bed, removing his hand from her panties, only to remove _them_ from her body. Once he had her naked, he quickly removed his clothes, showing her that he hadn't bothered with boxers that afternoon when he'd changed clothes, and without any fanfare, he slowly stroked into her, leaving her breathless.

"Christ, I get to do this for the rest of my life?" he whispered against her chest as he kissed and nipped along it just as she loved.

She moved in rhythm to the pace he set, and when he stopped, she looked into his eyes, not realizing that she'd closed her own. "What's…" she began.

"I want you to look into my eyes when I make love to you. I want to know that you're here with me and that I'm doing exactly what I need to do to make it good for you. I stopped because I don't want this to end too soon," he told her before he kissed her gently, molding his mouth to hers and erasing any thoughts that were forming in her head at the time.

"Edward, you always make it good for me, honey. I love you, and I love this part of our relationship. You're a wonderful, attentive lover, and when we have the opportunity to actually take our _time_, I love it. We can, you know, occasionally slip up here and have a quickie in the bathroom," she teased, causing him to laugh.

"So, my girl is up for a quickie every once in a while? Duly noted," he replied, moving slowly inside of her. While slow was wonderful, she needed more because she was so close to hurtling off that often-sought cliff.

She was thrilled that he sensed what she needed and began moving harder and faster, groaning with every thrust of his hips. Much sooner than either of them really wanted, though it wasn't a short time by anyone's estimation, the two of them found that particular slice of bliss at nearly the same time. Edward's head resting on her chest as she felt the full weight of his body was quite comforting to her, and his reluctance to move told her that he enjoyed their intimacy as much as she.

"God, I love you," Edward whispered as he kissed along her collarbone. He moved off of her to allow her to catch her breath, but his hand rested on her stomach because he couldn't bear to be completely separated from her.

"I love you, too," she whispered as she turned on her side to face him, slowly coming down from her high.

"Jake and Vanessa broke up today," Edward told her as he pulled her closer, kissing her nose.

She truly loved that he was as involved in the boys' lives as he was. She felt like they deserved it because their father hadn't been attentive before he'd abandoned them, and the fact that Edward was willing to step in made her heart soar.

"What did you do when it happened? I can't really say that I'm sorry. She seemed a bit mature for him," Bella acknowledged.

"Well, I can see where you might think that, but actually, Jake sort of cheated on her. She slapped the piss out of him and called him a name, and then I tried to explain to him that those things happen when you play fast and loose with someone else's feelings. He wasn't surprised that she found out, but I doubt he'll do that shit again. I think she rattled his eye teeth," Edward explained with a smirk on his face.

"Well, I guess it's a hard lesson, but he's a little young to learn it, isn't he?" she asked as she burrowed further into his body.

"I think it was time. Uh, he and Jared are more mature than you seem to give them credit, but I think Jake learned a lesson today. So, I guess we should shower and get to Es's house," he suggested with a wink.

She laughed, knowing how much he enjoyed shower sex, and if the truth be told, she was ready for round two. The clouds in the sky and the rain falling on the roof of the house at Bennett Circle didn't keep Bella from seeing stars when Edward was around. She'd always see them when he took her hand and showed them to her. It was something she looked forward to experiencing for years to come.

##

"Wait, so you and Seth aren't dating anymore?" Jake asked Alice when she finally surfaced that Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM. The three of them were playing pool in the Cullen's game room while dinner was being prepared.

They'd helped Carlisle stack wood in the wood box on the back porch which earned them each twenty-dollars that they tried to decline. When Carlisle reminded them that Christmas was only weeks away and they'd need money for gifts, they'd reluctantly shoved the money in their pockets.

They'd then helped Carlisle and Edward untangle Christmas lights to be put up on the house that evening and the next day if the rain ever stopped. Their mom and Esme were in the kitchen cooking, and when Liza and Ted had shown up, they'd been relieved of duty regarding the Christmas lights. They'd speculated that the men wanted to talk without them around, but neither really cared.

When Alice finally arrived, they were both happy to see her, but her announcement that Seth and she weren't going to see each other over the holidays concerned them because they believed that they'd set up the perfect match to keep Jasper Whitlock away and Alice out of trouble with her parents.

"We…well, actually, _I_ decided that we'd be better as friends. He's a sweet guy, and I like hanging out with him, but there's no chemistry, you know. Anyway, we rode home together, and he's giving me a ride back to school on Sunday, but we're not going to hang out over the holiday. Besides, I'd rather spend time with you two. So, how are _your_ love lives?" Alice teased.

Jared started laughing and Jake took a swing at him. "Knock it off. It ain't funny. I think she knocked a tooth loose," Jacob complained.

"What happened?" Alice asked as she took a shot at the red solid, missing which caused Jake to laugh.

"Oh, laugh it up. You weren't laughin' at two o'clock this afternoon when Vanessa clocked your ass at the front door," Jared announced, seeing his brother flip him off.

"Wait, Vanessa hit you?" Alice asked with wide eyes.

"Eh, it wasn't that hard," Jake replied rubbing his cheek where he was sure a bruise was beginning to form.

"Your ass it wasn't that hard. Dad had to give you a bag of corn to hold on it while he warned us about takin' one girl to the dance and then sneakin' away to make out with another. You're lucky Seth wasn't home yet. He's probably gonna beat your ass if she's cryin' about it and shit," Jared explained.

"Jacob, what did you do?" Alice asked with both hands on her hips, clearly not liking what she was hearing.

"We were at the Fall Mixer, and Vanessa was bein' weird and shit. She danced with Brady just to piss me off, so I decided to give her a little back. I danced with Mary Ellen Dingle, and after the song was over, she led me to the music room, and we kinda kissed a little. Anyway, it got out at school, and Vanessa found out and got pissed. She called me a bastard and slapped me before she stomped back up the street. I'd say we're not goin' out anymore," Jake clarified.

"Hey, women come and women go," they all heard behind them as Ted Masen walked down the stairs, obviously having heard the conversation.

"Grandpa, don't encourage these two. I hope Uncle Eddie straightened your asses out," Alice chastised.

"Boys, don't let her get to you. You're too young to get tied down to one girl. Now, besides the smack down on the front porch, how are my grandchildren?" Ted asked as he hugged Alice, and then high-fived Jacob and Jared.

Jared looked at Jacob, and both boys knew they had another problem. There were a lot of new people in their lives for whom they needed labels. The biggest had been Edward, and they'd all been happy with the resolution of that situation. What to call Ted and Liza Masen, as well as Carlisle and Esme Cullen, was something they felt should be resolved.

"Um, hey, Mr. Ted. How was the trip?" Jared asked.

"Oh, now, drop that Mr. Ted business. I don't need a piece of paper to say that you're my grandsons, but I know you call Charlie 'Pop', so call me Grandpa. Anyway, I was sent down to tell all of you that dinner's ready. Oh, and guys, Liza is notorious for leaving lipstick on your cheeks. Not a problem now, but when you get older, you'll wanna remember that. Women don't take to kindly to seeing lipstick smudges on their men," Ted joked, causing everyone to laugh.

The four of them walked upstairs and into the kitchen, seeing Liza and Esme drying their eyes as their mother smiled at them in a way that hinted that she'd been talking about them. "What?" Jared asked. If the women were crying because of what Jacob had done to Vanessa, he definitely wanted to distance himself from it.

"Oh, now, come here and give your grandmother a kiss. We've missed you guys," Liza called as she walked around the counter and kissed each boy on the cheek, hugging them as best she could due to the fact that they were a head taller than her.

"What's with the tears?" Alice asked as she took her turn hugging her grandmother.

"Bella was telling us about your decision to call Edward 'Dad', and it just made us really happy," Liza commented as she went back to shredding lettuce.

Apparently, there was to be a taco bar, much to Jacob and Jared's delight. With all the fancy food that would be served the next day, they were happy that tacos were on the menu that night.

When their mother made them, which was rare because she qualified them as junk food, they'd always loved them. With all the bowls lining the counter, they could see that Esme took tacos seriously, which made them like her even more.

"Alright boys, go wash up. Use the washroom at the end of the hall across from Alice's bedroom, if you don't mind," Esme ordered. Without a word, they clambered up the stairs and down the hallway, seeing that the bedroom across from Alice's had a light on.

When they stopped, they were surprised to see a set of bunk beds and a lot of soccer stuff in the room. The bedspreads had soccer balls on them, and there was a hanging rack that looked like a goal. There were two desks, each with lamps resembling soccer balls, and there was new wallpaper on the walls that neither remembered from the last time they'd been there.

"What's up with this?" Jake asked as they looked around.

"Beats me?" Jared answered. After shutting out the light, they quickly went to the washroom next to the spare room, seeing that it, too, had been redone. There was a definite football-related theme in that room that left them both stymied.

As they dried their hands and turned out the light in the bathroom, Esme appeared at the door. "So, what do you think?" she asked. The pair looked at each other, not sure to what she was referring.

"Um, about what?" Jake asked as he plunged his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Your room. I redid that room and the bathroom for you. I was kind of hoping that you'd want to stay over sometime. Maybe when you all get back after the holidays before school starts, you guys would like to come spend a few days with Carlisle, Alice and me. You know, to give your mom and dad a few days alone," Esme offered.

"We'd have been fine in the room the way it was. You didn't have to do this stuff for us, Mrs. C," Jared replied.

"First, that's _your_ room now. You have a room here anytime you want to use it. Second, I'm your Aunt Esme, so no more Mrs. C. If there's something you don't like about it, tell me and I'll fix it. You're family now, and I want you both to feel at home here," she directed as she smiled at them.

"Wow, thanks Mrs…Aunt Esme. Nobody's ever done that for us before," Jake replied.

"Well, you're Masens now, and we are all about family. Now, your mom told me that tacos are your favorite meal, so I expect you to eat a lot. Come on," she told them as she headed back down the stairs.

"Dude, these people are seriously weird," Jared whispered.

Jake only smiled. "Yeah, but they're _our_ weird," he responded as the two made their way back downstairs for dinner.

The meal was lively with everyone talking and laughing, and as the Uley brothers took in the sight, they were both pleasantly surprised. Little did they know when they egged Edward Masen's car that day, he'd be happy to have them call him dad, he'd marry their mom, and they'd get a big family in the process? While they hated the fact that they'd lost their dad and his family along the way, what they got in return was so much more.

\\\

_**E/N: I don't know about you, but my teeth hurt that was so f-ing sweet! I can't wait to hear from you. Thanks to all of you who voted and nominated (Shahula) this story at The Lemonade Stand. It was truly an honor to be nominated…and I don't mean that in the cheesy, Hollywood way.**_

_**Thanks so much for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo.**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews! I truly appreciate them. I didn't get in the top five over at TLS, but thanks so much to all of those who voted. I hope the story lives up to your expectations.**_

_**On that note…I feel I should tell you that after this chapter, there are three chapters and an epi. Over these last few, we'll move forward in time and hit on significant events. Like I said, I hope it lives up to your expectations.**_

_**Scorpio11 – Thank you so much for sharing your remarkable skills with me. Love your insights as well!**_

_**SMeyer owns…I merely borrow. So, who wants to go to a wedding?**_

_**\\\**_

25.

##

"Here, let me help you," Edward suggested as Jacob tried to tie his bowtie. He was tying it like he laced his sneakers, and it wasn't working out. Carlisle had tied Jared's, but Jake wanted to try on his own, though he wasn't having any luck.

"I guess it doesn't matter if I know how to do it or not. I doubt I'll be wearin' a monkey suit very often," Jake remarked as he pulled the tie to undo the mess he'd made.

Edward stood behind him, looking at their reflection in the mirror as he put his arms around Jacob's shoulders to show him how to tie the tie. "First, nobody, and I mean nobody knows how to tie a bowtie without a lot of practice and someone to teach you. Second, you'll learn how to tie a bowtie and a necktie over time, so don't worry about it. That's one of my jobs as your dad. Now, I need a favor," Edward told him as he evened the two sides of the tie and brushed Jake's shoulders, quite happy with how great everyone looked.

"Sure, what?" Jake asked as he examined the tie in the mirror, trying to figure out exactly how Edward had accomplished the task.

"I need you and Jare to take this to your mom," he responded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the long blue box in which rested a diamond bracelet he'd found at a jewelry store in town that he wanted to give Bella for a wedding gift.

"What is it?" Jacob asked as he turned to look at Edward.

"It's a wedding gift," Edward explained as he handed the box to one of the two young men who would be his sons in the not-too-distant future.

"A wedding gift? Dude, she oughta be givin' _you_ a gift. You're takin' on a woman and two kids. Hell, we should give you our bank account," Jacob joked as Jared came back in the room, zipping his pants.

"Come here," Edward ordered, seeing Jared's vest askew.

Jared walked over to him and waited patiently as Edward adjusted his clothes. "First, it's customary to give your bride a gift. Second, your mother doesn't need to give me anything because she's giving me herself and you guys. I really don't need anything else. I come out on the best end of this, okay? Now, go give it to her and then come back and tell me how beautiful she looks," he instructed.

"Dude, that's our _mom_," Jared announced with a pained look on his face.

"Yes, she is, but in about forty-five minutes, she's going to be my wife. Now, go and come back. I want details…oh, but you can't tell me about the dress. That goes against tradition," he told them. They both laughed and as they left, his father came into the groom's room at the small church where the wedding was to be held.

Jared and Jacob scurried past him with a "hey Gramps" which caused Ted Masen to laugh. "So, where are they off to?" he asked.

"I gave them Bella's wedding gift to give to her. I also sent them to run recon for me. So, Dad, you got any words of wisdom you wanna lay on your baby boy before he gets married and adopts two near-teens?" Edward teased as his father pulled out a flask and opened it, offering it to Edward with a smile.

After a sip of scotch, he handed it back to his father who took his own sip and smiled. "You know, son, when we heard that you were dating someone, we were happy. When we found out that you were interested in a woman with two eleven-year old boys, we weren't sure you hadn't flipped your lid. Your mom and I worried because that's a lot to take on, and well, you're only twenty-five. But, seeing you with them, well, it really seems like you've got it under control," his father told him.

Edward laughed. "I'm like a duck on water…all calm on the surface and paddling like hell below the water line. They keep me on my toes, but I'd never have it any other way. You and Mom have no idea how much I appreciate that you've taken to Bella and the twins as you have. They mean a lot to me, and the fact that you've never questioned my judgment regarding my relationship with them is really a blessing."

"Nothing to question. When it's right, it's right," his father told him as Carlisle came into the room.

"So, you ready?" he asked Edward with a smirk on his face.

"I seriously doubt it, but what the hell. You only live once," was Edward's response.

##

"You look lovely," Liza Masen told Bella as they stood in the bride's room at the church. She was dressed in the champagne-colored, silk dress that she'd found in Port Angeles when she and Alice had gone shopping. It had thin straps, a chiffon overlay, and a chiffon wrap that was tied behind her back. She'd chosen not to wear anything in her hair, though it was up, and she felt almost like a princess…albeit a slightly older princess.

She couldn't believe that she was getting married again, but from almost the moment that she'd met Edward Masen, she could imagine it. There was something about him that no matter how hard she fought against it, she couldn't deny. She knew in her heart that at the end of the day he truly was the man for her, and it had really been a no-brainer when he proposed.

Everything else that came with him was like buttercream frosting on top of the wedding cake that was being delivered to Carlisle and Esme's house as she stood in the ante-room at the church looking at her future mother-in-law and wondering where her own mother was hiding.

"Liza, are you okay with this? I mean…I feel like I should have come to you and Ted and asked for _Edward's_ hand in marriage," Bella teased as she took in her future mother-in-law.

"Oh, sweetheart, there's no need for that. I'll be honest. When we found out that he was dating you and you had children, we were a bit concerned, but when we met you and the boys, all of that went out the window. The look on my son's face when you walk into a room…that's the look every mother hopes to see at some point or another. You'll see it on Jacob and Jared's faces one day, and you'll just know that they've found the right girl for them," Liza told her as someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Bella called. She didn't want to cry, but what Liza had told her made her more emotional than anything she'd ever imagined.

When Jacob and Jared walked in with smiles on their faces, she really wanted to cry. They looked quite handsome in their tuxedos, and she couldn't stop the tears that welled in her eyes. "You guys look great," she told them as she hugged them.

"Now, don't start bawlin' or you'll have those black marks on your face. Dad sent this to you," Jacob remarked as he handed her a slender blue velvet case. She flipped the lid and saw a diamond bracelet that took her breath away. The setting was white gold and there were flowers and vines. It was gorgeous.

"Help me. How's he doing?" she asked as she took the bracelet and held it out to Jared. He took it from her and clasped it around her wrist.

"He's wonderin' about how you look. We're supposed to tell him how you look. So, how do you look?"  
Jared asked with a laugh.

"I look like a woman who's ready to marry the man of her dreams. Go tell him that," she responded as she kissed her sons on the cheek, wiping the lipstick residue before they left.

Walking down the aisle the second time in her life was surreal. Jacob was on her right, and Jared was on her left. Edward was in front of her with Carlisle behind him, but when she saw the look on his face as the twins led her down the aisle with a bouquet of white roses and holly in her right hand, she couldn't erase the smile from her face even if someone held a gun to her head.

As she settled at the altar and the minister asked, "Who gives this woman?" she smiled when Jared and Jacob responded, "We do," just as they practiced the night before.

After they sat down next to her parents, Bella handed her bouquet to Alice, who looked lovely in red, and turned to Edward, taking both of his hands as they'd practiced the night before. "You sure?" he whispered as the guests sat down.

"I am. Second thoughts? It's a lot to take on," she replied quietly.

"Ha! Try and stop me," he responded with a huge smile. That was all she needed to hear.

When the minister pronounced them husband and wife, Edward swept her into a deep kiss. When the pair broke apart, they couldn't stop the huge smiles on their faces. There were so many reasons why things shouldn't work out for the couple, but no one could convince them that any were valid. That day, Bella Swan Uley changed her name to Bella Masen, and she'd never, ever be sorry about it.

##

The honeymoon was surreal. The resort was stunningly beautiful, and the suite that Edward had secured brought tears to her eyes. He'd planned activities for the family, and had planned several romantic things for just the two of them. While she'd enjoyed the romantic dinners, picnic, and the horseback riding that the two had done, one activity stuck out in her mind and caused her to laugh hysterically every time she thought about it.

"_You guys sure about this?" Bella asked as the four of them stood on the dock. Edward, Jacob, and Jared were going parasailing. She'd declined because she'd watched a few other guests indulging, and it was a bit more daring than she'd envisioned for her honeymoon. If Edward and the boys wanted to do it, she'd take pictures, but she'd take them from the beach._

"_Sure. It looks fun. You don't wanna join us?" Edward asked. Jake and Jared were waiting. The three had rock/paper/scissored for the chance to go first, and Jared had won. They were all excited for the chance to soar above the Pacific Ocean, and Edward had gone so far as to purchase a waterproof disposable camera to try to take photos while he was aloft._

"_Oh, I'll be just fine down here on terra firma. Have fun," Bella called to them as the boat captain revved the engine. Edward kissed her quickly and climbed into the boat. Bella could see the excitement on their faces, and she quickly captured it with the camera that Alice had bought them as a wedding gift._

_She made her way back to the chaise lounges as the boat sped out into open waters, and she took many photos of each of the guys as they took their turn sailing in the clouds at the end of the tether that held them securely behind the boat._

_When they docked and her three loves climbed out of the speed boat, she noticed that each of them was moving very slowly down the dock to where she was resting on the chaise. Jacob arrived first and flopped down on a towel on the sand, groaning and holding his crotch. His pose was mirrored by Jared, and when Edward slowly walked up to where she was perched with a large straw hat on her head, she could see the pain on his face as well._

"_What happened?" she asked as she took in the sight of the three._

_Edward sat down at the end of her lounger and leaned into her to whisper into her ear. "My nuts are wrecked. That fucking harness was meant to castrate a guy. I need to go back to the room and get ice on my crotch if you plan to have sex again over the course of our honeymoon. Cover for me." With that, he rose from the lounger and slowly walked up the beach, leaving her in a fit of giggles on the chair._

_She turned to her sons. "Let me guess…you feel like you got kicked in the crotch?" she posed to her sons, seeing them both nod wordlessly._

"_Come on. Your dad gave me a good idea," she suggested as she began gathering their things. She led them back to the suite, only stopping to fill her beach bag with ice at the ice machine at the end of the hall._

_When they walked into the suite, she led them to their room and went to the adjoining bathroom, pulling two hand towels from the rack. She quickly filled them with ice and walked back into the room where the boys were standing._

"_Okay, um, take a quick, cool shower, and then put these over your…um…parts for fifteen minutes. There's Advil on the counter. Take one each, and then take a nap. I'm gonna go check on Dad," she ordered as she walked out of the room and closed the door._

_Her laughter echoed throughout the suite, and later that night at dinner, the three men in her life made certain she knew that they didn't appreciate it by avoiding conversation with her altogether. That caused her to laugh as well. _

##

"Mrs. Masen, please tell me this is the last trip we'll have to the ER for a while. I truly think that Carlisle is happy seeing you for Sunday dinners. I don't think these extra visits to the ER really add anything to the family experience," Edward commented as he carried her into the house.

"Yeah, Mom. Dad's right," Jared added as he and Jacob carried in the luggage. The family had been camping with Charlie and Renee. School had just let out, and the boys were in full swing with their lawn care business in Piney Woods. Thirty yards were mowed…fifteen a week…with the new mowers that Bella and Edward had bought them for Christmas after the used ones played out. They still used the McCarty's new riding mower on occasion after their mom had bought it for them with the settlement check.

Life in the Masen home was great…with the exception of the social worker who showed up unannounced. It was necessary for the adoption, but no one at the house on Bennett Circle appreciated her visits even though she was a nice woman.

"You're all comedians. Take that show on the road and see if you can carve out a career," Bella snapped as Edward placed her on the couch in the living room with a pillow under the brace on her ankle. A misplaced tree root and Bella's tenuous relationship with balance had brought them home early from the trip. Everyone was grateful it was only a sprain, and as Edward gave her a pain pill, he did so with a sense of history repeating itself.

It had been eighteen months since the wedding. The honeymoon had been great, and they'd all fallen into a wonderful routine about which no one complained. The only change on Bennett Circle was that the Vaughn family moved.

Jane, who wasn't the mother to Seth, Kim or Vanessa, had left Demitri, and after the dust cleared, he'd moved the family across town. Only Jared missed them. Every time Jacob saw Vanessa in the neighborhood prior to the move, she flipped him off which always brought a laugh from the family that Jacob didn't appreciate.

"Edward, I need to talk to you," Bella announced as they settled her on the couch. Jacob and Jared took it as their cue to leave, so they said their good-nights and carried their things upstairs without question.

"So, love, what can I get you? With the pain pills, I'd suppose you can't have anything alcoholic, so would you like some tea?" Edward asked as he sat down next to her with a smile that lit up her world.

"God, how in the hell did I land you?" she asked. It was a mystery to her, but she'd never questioned her luck. She only thanked the heavens for him.

"The boys egged my car," he laughed. She laughed with him, and then took his hand because she had something to tell him that she was certain would be a surprise, though when she thought about it, it really shouldn't have been.

"You remember back on our anniversary when we decided that we were ready to add to our family, and we decided _together_ that I'd go off the pill, right?" she began. She remembered the night very well.

"_God, I love you. How the fuck did I convince you to marry me?" Edward asked as the two of them caught their breath after making love. The boys were at Charlie and Renee's, and Edward was able to have Bella to himself that night, which suited him perfectly._

"_If I remember correctly, you made a nuisance of yourself until I gave in. I had no idea to what I was opening myself, but damn if I wasn't lucky. What's on your mind? I know it's something because you were quiet during dinner. Is it work?" Bella asked as she turned on her side, propping her hand on her jaw as she looked into his gorgeous face._

"_Work? Hell, that's actually going well for now. No, what I want to talk about is family. Now, not to bring up a sore subject, but you turned thirty-two in September, and I turned twenty-six in June. The boys are thirteen, and I think if we want to add to our family, now is the time to do it. What do you think?" he asked nervously._

_She thought for a moment and considered the position in which they'd found themselves. She was older, and she didn't really want to be having children in her forties. She loved the man, and they'd weathered a year together, so she was ready. At least she hoped she was._

"_Okay, um, I believe I'm ready to have another baby. So, should I go off the pill?" she asked tentatively because she wasn't sure if he was looking at short-term or mid-term._

"_Yep. Toss 'em. I'm ready, I think. The boys have made me wise beyond my years, I think," Edward remarked as he shifted to his side to stroke her face._

"_Oh, Masen, you have no idea what you're in for. I'll go off them, and we'll try, okay?" she asked. He laughed and pulled her onto him stating, "Let's try now." They laughed as they made love many times that night, and they were both happy with the decision._

"I do. I also remember that as the night of five times," Edward teased as he kissed her from his seat on the floor next to the couch.

Bella laughed. "Oh, yes, you were bound and determined that we were going to get me pregnant that night even though I was still on the pill. Well, sorry, but you didn't get the job done that night," she teased, seeing his smile that lit up her whole world.

"Oh, but I'm not a quitter. I believe I've been diligent in my efforts, wife," he replied.

She took a deep breath and let it go because her next words would change their lives forever. She'd had no idea that she was pregnant when he'd taken her to the emergency room, but Carlisle suggested a pregnancy test before the x-ray, and when it came back positive, he'd kissed her cheek and smiled.

"As a matter of fact, husband, you've been quite diligent. So much so that I'm about seven weeks into it," she announced, staring at his face for a reaction.

"Into what?" he asked. Not the response she was expecting, but she knew that he liked things in black and white, and if she'd been able to hobble back to the office, she'd have typed a statement that would have been worthy of a press release to all of the major news outlets.

"Masen, I'm pregnant. You got the job done. I'm about seven weeks, and I can tell you that there's been no milkman in sight. It's just you and me, and we're going to have a baby," she whispered as she stroked his stubbled face.

The flash of confusion surprised her, but after a moment, that familiar smile lit her up like a Christmas tree. He got it and he was happy. That was all she wanted. When his hand settled on her lower abdomen, she could see the unshed tears in his eyes. This brought her own that she had been holding at bay since Carlisle had given her the news and she'd sworn him to secrecy.

"Oh, God, I'm going to be a dad again," he whispered as he caressed her stomach.

"Honey, you're going to be a dad for the _first_ time," she reminded with a smile.

"_NO!_ I'm already a dad to two great sons. This is just us adding to our family. Bella, they can never feel like they're in the backseat on this. They're the older brothers, but they're as much mine as this baby will be. We have to make sure that they know that I love them as much as I'll love this baby," he announced forcefully, causing more tears to spill from her eyes.

"Okay, honey, we will. Don't worry. They'll know it, I swear," she assured as she stroked his face while he sat next to her. She could see how important it was for him that the boys understood that there would be no difference between them and the child she was carrying, and she truly appreciated it. It was exactly how she thought he'd treat the news, and it made her heart soar.

##

"You realize that something's wrong, right?" Jared asked Jacob as they took a break from mowing Mrs. Jacoby's yard on Cameron Run. It was the third that day and it was hot as hell, but it was their last and Alice was picking them up to go swimming at her house so they weren't complaining.

They'd noticed that since the camping trip, Edward had been treating their mother differently. He brought home flowers and the two held hands and kissed a lot more than usual. It had only been two weeks, but the boys knew something was off, and they were worried.

"I think that you're being a dumbass and lookin' for trouble when there isn't any. They haven't been married very long, and Aunt Es said that it's normal for them to be all gushy and shit. It'll settle back, trust me," Jacob offered as he drank his Gatorade.

"Maybe, but it seems like they don't want to be apart. I know that they're inappropriate a lot of the time but this seems different. He just seems to fall all over himself to make sure that she's happy, and she walks around with that stupid smile on her face.

"He touches her stomach all the time, and hell, she doesn't seem to get mad about it. I heard him say something about her boobs looking great, which I tried to block out, trust me, but Mom just laughed about it instead of yelling at him. I think we need to start asking some questions because if something's wrong, we need to be prepared," Jared informed.

Of the two Uley brothers, neither would deny that Jared was the more intuitive, and if he'd picked up on a vibe, Jacob was going to listen and take it in. He couldn't deny that things at home had been different, and his mom and soon-to-be dad were acting funny. If there was something for which the brothers needed to prepare, he definitely wanted to know.

"Well, he just pulled into the driveway, so I'd say let's go ask. You're right. We need to be prepared," Jacob answered as he hopped off the porch and grabbed the push mower that he'd been using.

He and Jared pushed them back to the house on Bennett Circle, seeing Edward waiting for them on the driveway, and he steeled himself to have a discussion with the man who wanted to be his father. If something was wrong, the Uley brothers wanted to know it, and they both believed that Edward Masen would be honest.

He always had been in the past, and they had no reason to doubt him. It was time for a talk, and whatever the outcome, the truth was better than the speculation, or so Jacob reasoned as he parked the mower in the garage.

"Dad, can we talk to you?" he asked as Edward stood waiting for them.

"Always. Let's get something to drink. You guys look hot," Edward replied. The brothers looked at each other and nodded, determined to get to the bottom of things, no matter how uncomfortable the conversation would be.

##

As Edward sat at the table with the boys who would be his sons within a very short period of time, he could see that they were troubled. He didn't know what was on their minds, but he didn't like that they were worried about anything. His goal in life was to take away their worries, not to create more.

"So, what's wrong?" he asked as he took off his jacket and shook off his day. It hadn't been great, but whatever was going on at home was far more important.

"We've noticed things," Jacob began, gulping the iced tea that Edward had pulled from the fridge.

"Okay, what things have you noticed," he asked.

"You and Mom, you seem to be more touchy-feely. You put your hand on her stomach when you don't think we're lookin'. Is somethin' wrong with her?" Jared asked.

Immediately, he knew that they'd likely waited a day too long to break the news about Bella's pregnancy. They'd been to the doctor…Carlisle…and everything was fine, but they were holding off telling the boys for one silly reason or another. It was time to come clean.

"Nothing's wrong with Mom, okay? She's actually in perfect health, and your Uncle Carlisle can verify it. I wish she was here, but we can't keep it from you any longer, so I'll tell you. We're going to have a baby. You're going to have a brother or sister in late December or January. How do you feel about that?" Edward asked nervously. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it would be tricky, but he hoped and prayed that they'd be happy about the news.

He saw them clam up and walk out without a word, which wasn't at all what he expected. He heard bedroom doors slamming, and he had the urge to call Bella, but he knew in his heart that he needed to handle the situation himself.

After several minutes of a self-imposed pep talk while loud banging echoed from upstairs, he climbed the stairs and opened both doors, standing in the hallway. He saw that Jacob had completely trashed his room which was the banging he'd heard, and Jared was sitting on the bed quiet and unmoving. That wasn't good at all.

"Okay, talk to me. What's with this?" he asked as he stared from one room to the other.

"We've seen this show before. When our dad had his other family, he gave us away. Now you and Mom are going to have a kid, and you'll love it, and we don't have anywhere else to go," Jared yelled.

Just then, as if fate had something against Edward Masen, the doorbell rang. "Shit. We're not done with this because you two aren't going anywhere. It's not like that," he called as he ran downstairs.

When he opened the door, he wanted to crawl in a hole. It was the social worker, and it was as if she had radar about the fact that there was a crisis. He wanted to tell her to leave, but he knew he couldn't. "Leslie, come in. We're in a bit of a crisis, so make yourself at home in the kitchen. I'll be back," he called as he escorted her into the kitchen and then ran back upstairs.

When he arrived on the second floor, he found both doors closed again, and he banged on them and then opened them, taking his place in the hallway between the two. "First, we talk about things as a family, and your mom had to work late tonight, so I'm sorry, but that doesn't mean that this discussion can wait.

"Second, you two were here first. No other child who comes into this house is going to cause us to send you anywhere, okay? This is your home. Right here with your mom and me. You don't need to worry about the fact that you're going to have a brother or sister, okay? It's not going to make me love you any less. We are a family, dammit," he cursed, seeing that they weren't listening to him.

"Hey, when I talk to you, I expect you to listen. You're not going to be pushed aside. We'll go talk to Dr. Smith about this, and we'll get some comfort about it, but just because your mom and I are adding to _our_ family doesn't mean that you're not important. The damn social worker is downstairs right now, and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that as soon as we can, we're going forward with this adoption.

"God, tell me what I need to say to convince you because you're just as stubborn as your mom," he lamented as he stood in the hallway seeing two backs that didn't seem to be listening. It drove him crazy, but he was at the end of his rope. He was trying as hard as he could to convince them, but nothing seemed to be working.

"Edward? I'm going to go. I think it's for the best," Leslie Something called from downstairs. He'd never bothered to care about her last name, but it seemed that if she left that day after hearing the confrontation, it was the death knell on the adoption.

"No! Give us a minute," he called. He looked into the rooms and saw two statues, so he ran downstairs to beg the woman to give them a little bit of time.

"Look, it's not as bad as it sounds, okay? They're just surprised. Bella's pregnant, and we should have told them sooner, but they're worried about it because when their biological dad started another family, he gave them up, and that's all they know. It's not going to happen here, I promise you, but we need to deal with it as a family. Please, I beg you, come back another day and give us another shot," he pleaded with the woman.

"Look, I've got another appointment, and I've heard all I need to hear. I'll submit my report, and you should hear something from the Court soon. Congratulations on the baby," she called as she left out the front door, much to Edward's dismay. He had no idea how he was going to explain any of it to Bella because he knew she'd be upset, and in that moment, he'd never felt more defeated in his life.

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_**E/N: Now, take a deep breath. It's not really an angsty story, but hell, if you have kids…and I know a lot of you do…you know shit does not go smoothly. This is just another one of those things.**_

_**So, what do we think?**_

_**Thanks for reading. Love you!**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N: Thank you so very much for your reviews and rec's and…well, everything. I love that you've taken to this story as you have, and if I could, I'd give you all a great big hug.**_

_**Scorpio11 – Thank you so much for your diligent beta-ing of this one. It makes it better, trust me!**_

_**These last few chapters take leaps of time, but Scorp has assured me that it's obvious so I didn't label them as such. Well, let's see how this whole social worker visit/blow-up at the pregnancy news thing works out.**_

_**SMeyer owns. I don't infringe.**_

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26.

##

When Bella finally got out of the office that Thursday, she was relieved. She was tired and craving a nap, but she felt good. The morning sickness she'd suffered when she carried Jake and Jared was nowhere to be found with the current pregnancy, and it made her very happy. All she wanted to do was go home, take a shower and maybe a fifteen minute power nap, and then cook dinner for her favorite men.

She walked into the house and saw Edward sitting at the table with a bottle of beer in front of him, untouched as best she could tell. The house was quiet, and it immediately worried her.

"Babe, what's up?" she asked, trying to sound lighthearted, but fearing that she'd failed miserably.

"Oh, God, it's a mess. The boys knew something was wrong, and I told them that you were pregnant, and now they've decided that we're going to ship them off like Sam did when Emily and he had their kids. I was trying to assure them that wasn't going to happen when Leslie showed up.

"She overheard our conversation, and she left. Bella, nobody's going to let me adopt those boys, and hell, at this point, I don't' think they even want me as their dad. I don't know what the hell to do," Edward told her with pain in his voice.

Without wasting time, she ran up the stairs and opened Jared's and Jacob's doors without knocking. "Get your asses downstairs right now," she ordered. She ran back down the stairs as best she could with the brace on her ankle, and when she arrived in the kitchen, she grabbed Edward's face, kissing him soundly on the mouth.

"We're not doing this. Sometimes, it takes a little bit of tough love. You did nothing wrong, and I'll call Leslie later," she told him as she went to the freezer and pulled out a lasagna that she'd made over the weekend. She turned on the oven and waited. When Jacob and Jared ambled into the kitchen looking red-eyed, she knew exactly what needed to happen, and she was loaded for bear.

Once her family was seated in the kitchen, she stood at the counter and looked at the three of them, thinking that she'd never seen sadder faces in her life. "I'm not exactly sure why you three are so sad. We're going to have a baby in the house. Shouldn't that be a happy occasion? I mean, I know that it'll be loud and there will be lost sleep, but your dad and I will take care of that, so what's wrong with you two?" Bella asked looking pointedly at her sons.

She saw them look at each other, and once again, Jared was the spokesman. "When Dad…Sam…and Emily had Leah, he didn't give a shi…care about us."

"Yeah, that was a shitty thing to do. I don't get it, but it's exactly what he did. So?" she asked, not willing to let them off the hook. She wanted all of the bitterness and bullshit on the table, and she wouldn't stop until she got it.

"So? Isn't that what you do? You have another family and leave behind the last one?" Jacob asked as he teared up.

She took a deep breath, but before she could say a word, Edward slammed his hand on the table to get everyone's attention. "Are you fucking kidding me? Do you really think that we'd do that? God, what have we done that would ever make you think that we'd abandon you?

"You are part of my family, do you hear me? I do _not_ care if your mother has a boy or a girl or a gerbil, okay? You're my sons, well, if that social worker doesn't fuck with it, but even if she does, I don't care. You're my sons. I didn't make you, but you came into my life, and I fell in love with you.

"You two, God, I can't tell you how much you mean to me. The times we spend together and the times we're going to spend together mean more to me than anything, and I can tell you that any brother or sister that comes along in this house won't change that. I don't know what more…" Edward trailed off as he looked at Bella because he couldn't make his case any longer.

"I think you owe your dad an apology for doubting him. I know that Sam was a crappy father, but there comes a time, and you are thirteen so I know you can understand this, when you have to have a little bit of faith in the people who love you. I know, Edward's only been in our life for a few years, but think about this…has he or has he not shown you that he wants to be there for you?" she asked.

She saw them both nod, and that was all she needed. "Then apologize, go get your laundry, and I'll cook you dinner. We're not going to do this crap in our house, okay? Other people do this, but we're not going to give doubt a home here. We love each other, and that's all there is to it. Accept it, and get used to it," she announced with finality as she turned from the room and washed her hands.

When she glanced behind her, she saw exactly what she wanted to see. Edward hugging each of the boys and reminding them that he loved them. Maybe the baby news was unexpected, but she felt that they'd handled it well, and she was prepared to take them to the therapist to talk about their fears, because God and Bella knew they had them, but at the end of the day, they were a family.

##

"You know, with a sister, we're screwed because we're going to be expected to make sure that guys like us don't come around her," Jared told Jacob as the two stood at the nursery window with Ted and Liza, looking in at their little sister. Their mom had gone into labor on New Year's Eve, but the baby hadn't been born until late in the day on New Year's. Thankfully, the whole family had been at Carlisle and Esme's, so when Edward took her to the hospital, there was a lot of family around to assure Jacob and Jared that everything was going to be fine.

"She's as pretty as your mom," they heard behind them, turning to see Charlie Swan standing there looking in the nursery window.

"Yeah, that's gonna be a problem," Jared announced as he studied his little sister with her dark hair and scrunched up face.

"Why's she cryin'?" he asked as they watched the nurse making the rounds in the nursery.

"She's probably hungry. They'll take care of her. Should we go see your mom?" Liza asked as she hugged the two of them around the waist. They towered over her, but they knew that she was as much of a grandmother to them as Renee. When they'd finally been able to go to Chicago to spend time with the Masens, they'd had a great time. They had a great family, and they were both grateful for each member.

Just then, Edward walked up and threw his arms around their shoulders, though it wasn't easy. Jacob was taller than him, and Jared wasn't far behind, but they both knew that he loved them. "She's gorgeous, isn't she? I need your help. Your mother is bound and determined to name her something that begins with a 'J', and she's set on Josephine. I'm trying to talk her out of it, but she won't hear it. I need reinforcements," he announced proudly.

"God, does she not understand that by the time she gets to school we'll be in high school, and we can't keep the other kids from beating her ass. Josephine? Seriously?" Jacob announced.

"See, that's why I need you guys. Come on," Edward called as he began steering the herd down the hallway to Bella's room.

When they walked in, they were all surprised to see Alice and Jasper standing by the bed. "Jazz, when did you get here?" Edward asked.

"About five minutes ago. Alice called me last night to wish me a Happy New Year, and she mentioned that Bella was in labor. I couldn't miss the opportunity to see you with your third kid at all of twenty-seven," Jasper teased.

Edward hugged him, and then the energy in the room exploded with love as the large family filed in. He sat down in a chair next to the bed and nodded to the boys to make their case for the name of their little sister, and they didn't hesitate.

"Ma, you can't name her Josephine. My God, do you know how much shit she'll get about it? How about Gabriella? That's a pretty name?" Jared offered. He and Jared had looked up names on the internet after they'd found out the baby was going to be a girl, and they were convinced that the name should be unique, just like their sister.

She was the product of a man who'd embraced their family as his own, and they felt that the baby's name should reflect how unique their family was.

"How about Lisa? That's a good name," Jacob offered as the family stood around the bed and looked at each other.

"Lisa? _Lisa?_ I like it, actually. What about a middle name?" Bella asked as she squirmed a bit in the bed.

"Lisa Marie," Edward offered, seeing her frown.

"Like Presley? Lisa Marie Presley? I don't think so," she replied.

Everyone laughed, and then Bella offered, "How about Charlotte?" The large family looked at each other, and everyone smiled.

"Hey, we can call her Charlie…you know, like Pop," Jared suggested, earning him a laugh from the crowd.

"Don't call my baby girl Charlie," Bella chastised.

"Now, I think that's cute. Um, how about Antoinette for the middle name?" Edward asked as he looked at Bella and then the boys.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and late that New Year's day, Charlotte Antoinette Masen was welcomed by her brothers, mother and father, both sets of grandparents, aunt and uncle, cousin, and her father's best friend…that was until the nurse, Jillian, came into the room and ran everyone out except for Edward.

As he held his daughter for the first time, he smiled. "Well, little girl, you're going to have a tough time ever meeting a boy to fall in love with because if I don't head them off at the pass, you've got two big brothers who will," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

He didn't have to be a prophet to predict that even though the boys had taken the news badly in the beginning, standing in that hospital room earlier, before they went home with Alice, they fell in love with her just as he'd fallen in love with them.

##

"Where's Dad?" Jacob asked Jared over the phone. Jacob Masen had had a very bad day. He was on his way home from his much-hated job at _Newton's Outfitters _when he'd been rear-ended in his mother's SUV. He knew there'd be hell to pay, but it wasn't his fault. He knew calling his mother was useless because she'd only worry, and Edward, his adopted father of three years, had a much more level head.

Jacob Charles Masen was sixteen years old, just like his brother, Jared Samuel Masen. It had been five years since the wedding, and three years since their little sister had been born, and while the family had their ups and downs, they'd weathered them together. The boys loved their dad, as they referred to Edward, and the man who had sired them had never called once about them since the day he'd called to cancel a summer visit when their mother first met Edward.

They'd endured several years of therapy to help them deal with Sam's abandonment, but both boys would agree that Edward Masen had been more of a father to them in the nearly six years that they'd known him than Sam Uley had been in the eleven years prior. Edward had instilled fair discipline with a loving hand, and they both knew that he'd been a godsend to them, their sister, and their mother. Without him, the boys always speculated about how different their lives would be.

"Dumbass, he's in Portland. What happened? I'm sittin' here waiting for you to pick me up," Jared complained. They were supposed to go to an end-of-school-year party at First Beach, which they hadn't been to in years, and Jared was anxious to get on the road.

"Remember Vanessa Vaughn? Yeah, she rear ended me at the stoplight. We're both sitting here not sure what the hell to do, and I guess since Dad's gone, I better call Mom," Jacob announced.

"Call Pop. He's workin' today. I'll call Dad and ask him what to do. Was Kim with her?" Jared asked. The Vaughn family had moved off of Bennett Circle years earlier, and with the move came a new school district for the girls.

The Masen boys didn't see them very often, but the opportunity to catch up with them, no matter how sketchy it was, gave Jared hope. He'd always had a thing for Kim Vaughn, regardless of how many other young ladies had caught his eye, and if she was still available, he'd make the drive across town to date her…well, if the car was still drivable.

"No, Kim's not here. I'll talk to ya later," Jacob told his brother as he hung up.

Jared hit the speed dial to call Edward, knowing that the last thing his father wanted to hear was that there had been an accident, but it was much better to talk to him than their mother, who was due home from work any moment after she picked up his sister, Charlie, from daycare.

"Hey, Jare. What's going on?" Edward answered.

"Well, Jake had a wreck. It wasn't his fault. Somebody hit him in the backend of Mom's SUV. They're still at the scene, and he's okay, but what should he do? I told him to call Pop," Jared explained, waiting for guidance.

"Shit. Yeah, have him call Pop, and I'll be home tonight. Is he okay, really?" Edward asked.

"He says he is. We were supposed to go to the party at First Beach. Mom and Charlie are due home any minute, and you know she's gonna freak out when she hears," Jared reminded.

"Get your shit together and get out of there before she gets home because you can't lie worth a damn. The last thing your mother needs is to worry about a wreck, what with me being out of town. Go to Mack and Rosalie's if they're home, and I'll call them to give you a ride. If the car isn't drivable, have it towed to Clancy's Garage, and tell Rosalie that I'll take care of it when I get home. Just get out of there before Mom gets home," Edward told him.

"Got it. Love you," Jared called over the line.

"Love you too. I'll see you tonight. You still have a curfew. I'll pick you guys up at First Beach at 11:30, okay?" Edward asked.

"Okay," Jared responded as he hung up.

He ran upstairs and changed into board shorts because there was a big swell coming in, and he and Jacob had learned how to surf during the family's annual trek to Hawaii where they'd all gone on the honeymoon together.

It was all he wanted to do that evening, and if his brother was okay, he intended to hit the waves. It was something that calmed him, and he knew that his brother enjoyed it, too, so he went to Jacob's bedroom and grabbed his trunks as well. With their dad coming home, he knew things would be okay.

##

"Bree, I'm leaving you in charge of this. My son had an accident this afternoon, and I need to get home and deal with it. I'll be available by phone, but if you're looking to shine and get promoted, it's your shot," Edward told Bree Tanner as he gathered his things to leave.

He'd been promoted to partner in the advertising firm, and they were on-site, preparing a campaign for a software company that offered a new gaming system. Edward only understood about half of the game, but that didn't mean that he hadn't drawn out a strategy for the campaign. Bree Tanner was his go-to person on the project, and he felt as though he was leaving the team in capable hands.

She nodded with a smile, and Edward knew things would be under control. He made his way to the airport and flew into Port Angeles. From there, he grabbed a cab because he didn't want to call his wife, and he arrived home about an hour later. He saw his Mercedes in the driveway, but no sign of the SUV, which he hoped was a good thing because it meant that Bella probably didn't know about the accident.

"Babe? I'm home," he called. He knew that if she knew about the accident, she'd be a worried mess, but if there was nothing wrong with Jacob, he didn't want to alarm her. She was just back to work full-time, and she'd gone through hell when she first started taking Charlie to daycare, so he didn't want anything else to upset her.

Of late, Bella had been more emotional than he'd ever seen her in all the time they'd been together. When Alice told the family that she had planned to stay in Seattle after her graduation, Bella had cried for days, which made no sense to him.

Everyone in the family had speculated that Alice's job prospects would be limited in Forks and that she'd probably have to stay in Seattle for a job in her field, but Bella seemed to take it harder than Esme. He didn't know why, and when he asked her about it, all she did was sob. He hadn't raised the subject again.

Oh, and he didn't bring up anything that touched on the fact that she was going to be thirty-six because he knew that her age was a touchy subject. He would be thirty in June, but he knew that the age thing was always a problem for her.

When the boys had passed their driving tests two weeks' prior, she'd cried for days. When their daughter, Charlie, had started daycare after preschool let out for the summer, Bella had cried for hours. He didn't want to relive those incidents.

"What are you doing home?" Bella asked as she skirted down the stairs with a huge smile on her face.

"I ducked early. Bree is going to handle the pitch. She wants to be promoted so she needs to do more of them, and I want her to do it without me there. How's my wife?" he asked as he looked at her closely. He could tell she hadn't been sleeping well, based on the dark circles under her eyes, and she appeared to have lost weight, not that she could afford to. Bella Masen wasn't as big as a minute, and no one knew it better than her husband.

She'd had a virus before he left, and he felt like shit that he wasn't here to take care of her, but he wanted his firm to land the campaign, so when she'd assured him that she'd be in capable hands, he'd flown to Portland and poured his heart into the job. Had it not been for Jacob's accident, he'd have made the pitch himself, but he had faith in Bree Tanner…and crossed fingers.

"I'm fine. I actually had lunch with Carlisle today. We went to the diner and had burgers," she teased. She knew how much he loved the burgers at the diner because they were cooked on the seasoned flattop, and Edward swore that there were no better burgers in town.

"That's just mean to rub it in," he told her as he swept her into a hug, feeling her body against his for the first time in four days. He'd missed her very much, and holding her meant more to him than he'd ever imagined when he thought back over the years before he had her.

Edward heard Bella say something to him, but he wasn't sure what it was because he'd been reminiscing, so he only smiled because telling his wife that he wasn't listening to her was akin to poking a bobcat.

"That's great. So, um I have a bit of news," he announced, sort of feeling her out. When he saw her laughing, he had no idea what to make of it.

"What the hell is so funny?" he asked.

"Oh, it can wait. What's on your mind?" she asked with a smile on her face. He knew that when he told her about the accident, the smile would fade, but he wanted to see it for about thirty more seconds.

"Where's Charlie?" he asked as he looked behind her for the little girl who owned all of the men in the family. She had her mother's hair, and her father's eyes, and she was spoiled rotten.

It wasn't just Edward who spoiled her. Her brothers succumbed to her every whim, right along with her grandfathers and her uncle, Carlisle. Esme laughed at the situation, telling him that he was getting it all back because he'd been spoiled when he was young, but he didn't remember pitching the tantrums that his daughter pitched when she didn't get her way.

"Carlisle took her over to their house for a while. Alice called and said that she has a surprise and she's driving out this evening, so we're supposed to go over for dinner. I guess the boys are at their school party," Bella told him.

He kissed her gently, and confirmed, "I love you, Bella," before he embarked on the bad news.

"Edward, just tell me what's going on," she demanded. Yeah, she wasn't stupid by any stretch of the imagination.

"Well, Jake's okay, but he was rear-ended today. Remember Vanessa Vaughn? She rear-ended your car while Jake was driving. He's fine, trust me, but your car is fucked up. We'll get it fixed, but it wasn't his fault," Edward explained nervously.

When she began laughing hysterically, he wasn't exactly sure that she hadn't snapped. For her to laugh wasn't exactly what he'd expected so he waited for her to calm down, certain that she was in shock. After all, their son had been in an accident, and even though he'd assured her that Jacob was fine, Edward was certain that she didn't believe him. She was the type of person who wouldn't believe it until she saw him for herself.

"Like you said, the boys _are_ at the party at First Beach, but we can go down there if you want to see them," he offered.

"You know, I love you with all my heart, but a lot of the time, you remind me of my dad. You half-ass listen to what I say, and you just nod and smile," Bella informed as she went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, sitting down at the table with a smug smile on her face.

Edward was trying to figure out what she'd said that he'd missed, but for the life of him, he had no idea. "I'm not _that_ bad. Our son was in an accident this afternoon, and I was worried about how you'd take it. Maybe I missed something, but I don't think it was that important because if it was, you'd have told me again," he replied defensively.

"Okay. We'll see," she tossed out as she went upstairs leaving him to mull over the conversation in his mind. After several minutes of coming up empty, he grabbed his suitcase and followed her upstairs to change, feeling quite happy that she hadn't overreacted to the news of the accident. It was a huge relief.

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_**E/N: Can't wait to hear your thoughts! I know that a lot will happen in each chapter, and I hope you're not disappointed. Just a few more and the epi left, so I wanna make sure we're all happy about it.**_

_**Thanks so much for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N: Hello! Happy Tuesday! Thank you for your reviews. I truly appreciate them. I know I'm a fail at responding, but I read and cherish each and every one.**_

_**Scorpio11 – Thank you for your assistance. So glad that you're back on board!**_

_**SMeyer owns…I merely borrow.**_

_**So, as I've told you, we're advancing. There are just three more chapters…this included, and an Epi, but I'm sure you'll love the end of it. Over on another site, it's a featured story! I'm quite proud of the attention this one's received, and I know it's because of you, my readers. Thank you!**_

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27.

##

"So, what happened?" Jared asked as he and Jake hauled their surfboards out of the water for the last time that evening. The bonfire was lit, and all of their friends from school had arrived, so they wanted to hurry and change so they could make the rounds to see which girls from school had shown up.

"I was pullin' up to the light and it turned yellow, so I stopped because I'd seen Mack turn the corner ahead of me in the cruiser, and I knew if I got a ticket, Mom and Dad would pitch a bitch. Anyway, I stopped but Vanessa didn't, and she plowed into the back of me. The ass-end of the Expedition is fucked up, but Pop said it can be fixed. They didn't have to tow it because it was close enough to Clancy's so I could drive it over there. Rosalie said she'd be able to make it better than new.

"I think it's pretty cool that she bought the shop. Hey, she asked me if I wanted to work there full-time over the summer. She said she'd teach me shit. I'm gonna talk to Dad about it because I think I'd like it better than working at the sporting goods store. The only good thing about working there is Mrs. Newton wears low-cut tops, and I get to stare at her tits all day, but she ruins it when she opens her mouth. She's a bitch," Jacob informed.

"I thought you wanted to work with me at _'Reed's'_," Jared reminded. He worked for Paul Reed's Nursery and Landscaping on weekends during the school year, and since school was out for the summer, Paul had offered him a full-time job. The neighbors of Piney Woods were disappointed that the boys' lawn care business was no more, but everyone understood that they needed jobs that paid more money because they were saving for cars.

"I know about grass shit. I wanna learn about cars. I'm taking auto shop next year, and if I can get some experience at Rosalie's garage, it'll help me with the class. I'm thinking about checkin' into engineering for college. I think I'd like to learn how to design cars," Jacob announced, much to his brother's surprise.

"Really? I thought you wanted to go into advertising like Dad," Jared recalled. The boys were going to be juniors in high school in the fall, and their parents had told them that it was time to start thinking about colleges. They'd had many discussions regarding what they thought they wanted to be when they grew up, and while Jacob seemed to change his mind every other week, Jared was steadfast that he wanted to go to medical school.

"I just like workin' with my hands. Anyway, so she plowed into me, and man, her car was fucked. She'd just gotten it for her eighteenth birthday, and when her dad showed up, he was pissed. I was glad Pop was there because I was afraid Mr. Vaughn was gonna beat the hell out of me and I didn't do anything," Jacob continued.

"Oh, if he'd have laid a hand on you, Mom would have gone all black ninja on his ass, I can promise you," Jared surmised, causing both boys to laugh at the idea of their tiny mother putting the smack down on the large man right there at the corner of Fifth and Main.

"Yeah, so anyway, they towed her car to Clancy's, but Rosalie said it was totaled. They're gonna have the insurance guy come out and look at it. I took a picture of ours and sent it to Dad so he could see how bad it was, but he sent a message back that as long as I was okay, it wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed," Jacob told him.

Just as the two were heading toward the men's changing room, they heard their names being called. They turned around to see Kim Vaughn heading in their direction with another girl they'd never met. "Damn, she looks good," Jared whispered, referring to Kim.

"Yeah, and Kim looks good too," Jacob responded, referring to the redhead who was laughing as the girls approached them.

"Jake, you okay? Vanessa's at home in ten kinds of hell because she was texting while she was driving. Anyway, Vanessa heard you mention that you guys were coming here for a party, so I thought we'd ride out and see how you guys are. Oh, this is my best friend, Carlie Taylor. Carlie, this is Jacob and that's Jared Uley," Kim introduced.

"Um, actually, it's Masen now. Edward adopted us a few years ago. It's, uh, nice to meet you, Carlie. Um, why don't you girls go get something to drink while we change, and then we'll catch up," Jared suggested, seeing his brother standing next to him with his mouth open.

He knew that, once again, Jacob was in love like he'd been many times over the years, and when Jacob was in love, Jacob got stupid. Jared didn't want to blow his chance with Kim because of his brother's idiocy, so he was going to take control of the situation. He'd always liked Kim Vaughn, and if there was a chance to get back in her life, he was going to take it.

##

"What time is Alice getting here?" Bella asked Esme as the two of them were preparing kabobs for the grill. It was Thursday evening, and Bella had had a great day.

After Carlisle had taken her to lunch to celebrate, he'd insisted that they stop at the daycare center and pick up Charlie. Carlisle loved having Charlie around the office, and between patients, the two played with a Matchbox racetrack set that Carlisle had bought at a tag sale and set up in his office. All of the women who worked for Dr. Carlisle Cullen thought it was adorable.

Charlotte Masen, or Charlie as everyone called the little girl, was a tomboy. Bella had held out hope that she'd play with dolls and have tea parties until the first time she saw Jacob teaching Charlie how to kick a soccer ball. The light in her daughter's eyes had extinguished the hope in Bella's heart that she'd have a daughter to shop with like Esme had done with Alice over the years.

Of course, Edward was thrilled that his daughter loved the Cubs as much as he did, and watching the two of them as they watched the games together always made her smile. He'd ordered her a game jersey with her name on it that matched one he'd ordered for himself, and when the Cubs were on television, Bella knew she could walk into the family room and see the two of them sitting on the couch watching the game together, Edward with his beer, and Charlie with her juice box.

"She should be here anytime. She didn't tell me what's so important that she took tomorrow off from work and is driving out, but she sounded excited. So, how come Eddie came home early?" Esme asked as she buttered ears of corn and sprinkled them with dried cilantro, salt and pepper before wrapping them in foil for the grill.

"Jacob had his first accident this afternoon. Edward was worried about how I would take it, or so he said, so he came home. I think he was more worried about how Jake was handling it. Jake's okay, which is all I care about, but I think as much as my husband accuses me of being an overprotective parent, he's just as bad. He wanted to see that Jake was fine, so he came home. Anyway, you were okay with Carlisle bringing Charlie over today, right?" Bella asked, not wanting to ask if Carlisle had said anything to Esme about events that were swirling in the air.

"Oh, my goodness, yes. I love having her over here. She and Carlisle played in the pool with a blow-up boat that he bought at the Dime Store, and my Lord, that girl's giggling should be recorded and sold to people suffering from depression. You can't possibly be sad when that child laughs," Esme told her with a huge smile.

Yes, Esme had also had a hand in spoiling Bella's daughter. When Charlie didn't take to the dolls that Esme bought for her, Esme switched to buying dump trucks, and when Charlie spent time with Esme, they hauled dirt all over the pristine lawn of the Cullen property.

She walked over to the patio doors and watched Edward and Carlisle playing with a plastic horseshoe set that had been a gift from Liza and Ted for Charlie when they'd visited a month earlier for Alice's college graduation. She also noticed that the men seemed to be having more fun with it than Charlie, who was busily digging in the flower bed that Jacob and Jared had made for Esme for her birthday the fall before Bella and Edward had married.

Every year for Mother's Day, the boys showed up with new flowers and replanted it as their gift to their aunt. Bella was pretty sure that if the boys saw what their sister was doing to the flowers, they'd have a fit.

She stepped out on the patio and walked over to the flower bed, stooping down to her daughter. "Charlotte, what are you doing?" Bella asked, seeing her daughter covered in black dirt with a beaming smile on her face.

"I plantin'," Charlie answered as she dumped a plastic shovel full of dirt into the yellow Tonka dump truck beside her.

"I don't think Jared and Jake would be happy that you're digging up Aunt Esme's flower bed," Bella reasoned as she reached for the shovel from her daughter's hand.

Bella was about to dump the dirt from the truck back into the flower bed when she heard, "Carlisle, come quick!" Esme sounded panicked, and that wasn't like her. Bella grabbed up Charlie and ran toward the house as Carlisle and Edward ran from the yard.

##

"Thank you, Maggie, for being a great landlady. I'll miss you," Alice Cullen told the kind, older woman whose home she'd shared the last two years of college.

She'd moved out of the dorms the summer between her sophomore and junior year of college, and she'd rented a suite of rooms from the nice Irish woman with whom she'd worked over the summers.

Alice was studying architecture at the University of Washington, and she'd been able to land internships at a large design firm not far from the university. She'd assisted Maggie O'Malley during those summers, and the two had developed a close friendship.

When Alice mentioned that she was looking for a place to live outside the dorms, Maggie quickly offered the suite in her large home outside of Seattle because she felt the house too large and too quiet since she'd lost her husband, Liam, the year before.

"Now, lass, we're more than landlady/renter. You're my friend, and I expect to hear from you. I know that I'm retiring now, but that doesn't mean that I can't come meet you downtown for lunch. I still get around," Maggie teased.

Alice hugged her and turned to carry out her last box to the U-Haul she'd procured to move her things to the small apartment that she'd rented the week before. She'd landed a job at the firm where she'd interned, and she was finally on her own.

After she and Seth had gone their separate ways a few years earlier, Alice had abstained from dating, deciding to concentrate on her studies. With her degree behind her, she was looking forward to having her life wide open with possibilities.

One day the week after she'd settled into her new space, there was a knock on her door. She didn't know anyone in the building, and the intercom hadn't buzzed, so she was concerned about who was knocking.

When she opened it, she felt the rush of air leave her body as she took in the sight that appeared in front of her. It wasn't expected, and how she'd been located was a mystery, but the only thought that entered her head was to step aside and allow entrance.

That had been a month earlier, and as they pulled up her parents' driveway, she almost couldn't believe the events that had unfolded, but she'd never been happier in her life. "I'll do the talking, okay?" she instructed, hearing the laugh that lit up her world and seeing the nod of agreement.

They climbed from the car, wrapping arms around each other, and when Alice opened the front door of the home in which she'd grown up, she heard her mother singing with the radio. She'd seen her uncle's Mercedes on the driveway, so she was happy to share the news with everyone at once.

As they walked toward the sound of the singing, she glanced out the window over the breakfast nook, seeing her father and uncle in the yard playing with a plastic horseshoe set, but she didn't see Bella or her cousins anywhere around. "Mom, we're here," she called, so as not to scare her mother. The shock of what Alice had to tell them would be enough…she didn't want to scare her mother to death before she even shared the news.

She saw her mother look up with a glowing smile on her face as she worked at the kitchen island. She also watched the smile slowly fade as the realization of who was standing next to her set in. "Alice, what's going on?" Esme asked as she put down the knife and dried her hands on her apron.

"I've got news. Um, we just got back from…we went to Hawaii…" she announced, holding out her hand for her mother to see the new fixture.

The large diamond on Alice's finger surprised Esme, but the ring that rested there with it sent a shock through Esme Cullen like none she'd ever received in her life.

She quickly walked to the patio door and opened it, yelling for her husband because the news was too big for her to take in alone. She heard running in the direction of the house, but she also noticed the glowing smile on her daughter's face as she looked up at the man standing next to her whose smile matched Alice's. Alice Cullen had run off and married Jasper Whitlock. The shock caused Esme to sit down at the kitchen table and hold on for dear life.

##

"You suck at horseshoes, Dr. Cullen," Edward teased his brother-in-law. He'd seen Charlie playing in the dirt, which wasn't a surprise, so he knew that she was fine. They'd tried to interest her in the game, but she'd grabbed a yellow dump truck and a shovel from the big tub of toys that his sister kept on the patio for his daughter, and she'd toddled off to her favorite spot.

"Hey, these aren't regulation. They're too light, and for this game, we're too far apart," Carlisle defended.

"Yeah, right. I don't seem to be having…" Edward began as they heard a shriek from the patio.

"_Carlisle, come quick!_" It was Esme, and they both knew something was wrong. They dropped the plastic horseshoes and ran toward the house. Edward saw Bella and Charlie run inside before he and Carlisle arrived, so he knew she'd heard the panic, as well.

When they ran into the kitchen, he saw his sister looking ghostly pale, sitting at the kitchen table with her knuckles white from gripping the edge. He looked around the room and saw his niece and Jasper Whitlock standing on the other side of the island looking very concerned. It didn't slip his notice that Jasper's arm was around Alice's shoulders, and he was whispering something to her.

"What's wrong, Es?" Carlisle asked as he stooped down next to where she sat, gaze fixed on Alice and Jasper.

"They….she…they eloped," Esme gasped. All eyes turned to the couple, and it was then that Edward noticed the rings on Alice's finger, and a matching band on Jasper's.

"Shit," he whispered, turning to see Bella standing next to him with a very dirty Charlie in her arms who was squirming to get free. He watched Bella put her down, and saw his daughter toddle over to where Alice was standing with Jasper. When Alice bent down and picked up Charlie, Edward found his voice.

"Jasper? What the fu…hell is going on?" he asked as he walked closer to the couple.

Alice took Charlie over to the kitchen sink and proceeded to wet paper towels to clean her up, but Edward wasn't looking for answers from her. His friend, Jasper, who'd promised to stay away from his niece, was the person upon whom his glare was fixed.

"I did exactly as you asked. I waited for her to graduate from college. We talked occasionally, but I never made any promises to her while she was in school. I let her live her life, and I didn't interfere. When she graduated, I went to see her to give her a gift, and from there, everything fell into place. We went to Hawaii and got married last week.

"I kept my word to you, Ed, and if you remember, you told me that after she graduated, if the feelings were still there, then I could pursue them and you wouldn't interfere. Well, after Alice, there was no other woman for me, so once she graduated, I took you at your word, and when she agreed to marry me after two weeks of dating…and four and a half years of me waiting, I didn't let the chance go by," Jasper explained as he walked over to the sink and placed his hands on Alice's hips as she continued to clean up Charlie.

"Look, everyone, Jasper wanted to do everything the right way…long courtship…get Daddy's blessing…big wedding…all of it. I didn't want any of it. When he asked, I accepted, and I made the reservations to go to Hawaii to get married and have a honeymoon.

"We got back yesterday, and after we moved Jasper's things into my apartment, I called you and told you I'd come out. Mom, Dad, I love him. I have since I met him, but I did as you all asked and stayed away. Well, I'm not staying away any longer," Alice announced as she kissed Charlie on the cheek and deposited her on the floor where she toddled over to Edward and held up her hands for him to pick her up.

Edward thought about his niece's revelation, and saw that she and Jasper had followed his instructions to the letter. They'd done exactly as he'd asked them to do, so he couldn't fault them. He reached down and picked up his daughter, kissing her on the cheek, and he turned his attention to his sister who had started to cry.

"Es, that's no way to treat a new member of the family. I say let's break out the champagne," Edward declared, seeing the small smile on Carlisle's face and feeling Bella's supportive hand on his back. There was a reason to celebrate, and while maybe it wasn't the way his sister would have chosen, there was no going back.

##

When Bella and Edward arrived at First Beach to pick up Jake and Jared, they noticed the boys sitting on a front porch of one of the houses with two girls. When the twins saw the familiar vehicle, they both kissed the girls good-bye, and then ambled toward the car.

"Oh, God," Bella whispered, seeing her sons with those goofy looks on their faces in the light from the headlights.

"Honey, they're sixteen. Girls are calling the house all the time for them, and there's nothing we can do. I'll talk to them again because I'm not ready to be a grandfather yet," Edward whispered back because Charlie was in the car seat fast asleep.

Bella chuckled. "Are you ready to be a dad again?" she asked quietly as the boys climbed into the car. Edward looked at her face, seeing that she was completely serious, and he smiled. There would be another Masen added to the family, and it suited him just fine.

\\\

_**E/N: You're all extremely smart, those of you who knew Bella was preggers. Well, I wasn't very discreet with it, but we all wanted them to have another, now didn't we? **_

_**Can't wait to hear from you. Thanks so very much for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N: Thank you for your continued reviews. If I get 2 from this chapter, I'll be at 700, and I can't believe it! **_

_**This is the second to the last chapter, and well, we have a little drama. My internet connection is acting up, so I'm trying to hurry to post it.**_

_**Scorprio11 – I know you wanna pound…someone…but stick with me, darlin'. Thanks for your insights.**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No infringement intended.**_

_**\\\**_

28.

##

"Well, this is our last breakfast before you two go away to college. I can't tell you how proud your mom and I are of you both," Edward told Jared and Jacob that Saturday morning as the three of them sat in their usual booth at the diner.

"Dad, we'd have never been able to do half the shit we've done if you hadn't come along," Jared told him.

The breakfast was bittersweet for Edward. Sitting at the diner had become their thing when they needed to have a discussion. They'd been there many times over the years, and he was looking forward to doing the same thing with his daughter, Charlotte, and his other son, Garrett, when they were older.

Jared was going to Northwestern on an academic scholarship. He was going to be pre-med, and Bella and Edward were quite proud of him. Liza and Ted had offered him the condo so he didn't have to live in the dorms, but Edward had suggested that he try it for at least a year, remembering his own college experience at Dartmouth. Jared agreed to give the dorms a year, and his plane was leaving the next day. His things had been shipped already, and while Edward knew he was excited, he could see the apprehension in his son.

It would be the first time that the boys had ever been apart for any period of time, but they'd chosen not to attend the same universities, so when Jacob got a football scholarship to the University of Arizona, the couple had urged him to take it.

He wanted to major in mechanical engineering, but everyone knew that his real desire was to be the pre-eminent defensive tackle for the Wildcats. They'd arranged for him to have a tutor in Tucson because academics hadn't come to Jacob as easily as Jared, but the family was confident he'd do well.

"Yeah, well, you two are great boys…hell, you're men now. I just hope that when you get to college, you won't spend your first semester boozing it up and neglecting your coursework. You both know that your scholarships depend on your GPA's, so keep perspective when it comes to partying, okay? I'm not stupid enough to think that you two will be holed-up in the library all year, but keep some sense about it, okay?" Edward asked as the coffee was delivered.

The carafe was larger because the boys were coffee drinkers, so as Edward poured them each a cup, he thought back to the first time he'd met them. "You know, never judge a book by its cover. When I met you both, I thought you were juvenile delinquents, but I quickly learned that things aren't always what they appear to be. You're good men, and I'm so happy that I found that out about you. I lucked out meeting your mother, but getting you two in the process, along with your little sister and brother, well, that's just been a bonus for me. Don't ever forget that you're my sons, and you know what I expect of you with regard to how you conduct yourselves when you're away from home. I know you won't disappoint us," Edward told them as the waitress returned to take their order.

He saw the young girl smile at the boys and flirt a little, and he saw that the two shy boys he'd met when they were eleven were gone forever. The young men sitting across from him were confident and a bit cocky, just as he'd been back in the day. It made him smile because he believed he'd had a little bit to do with it.

Of course, he knew that they were their mother's sons, and his wife never ceased to amaze him. His love for her had only grown over the seven years they'd been married, and he knew that it would only continue. He'd tell anyone who'd listen about his remarkable family, and he'd tell them with the sense of awe he felt because he still pinched himself every once in a while to make sure it wasn't all just a wonderful dream.

##

"God, you've still got it, Masen," Bella gasped as the two of them lay on the bed next to each other. For the first time in their ten-year marriage, the couple had gone on vacation alone.

It was June, and they were celebrating Edward's thirty-fifth birthday. Bella wasn't looking forward to her forty-first birthday in September, but her life had been so great that she wasn't counting birthdays any longer. Her younger husband kept her from feeling her age, as did her eight-year-old daughter and her five-year-old son.

"See, they told me that the vasectomy might affect performance, but I _do_ believe that I just proved that those people are full of shit," he teased as he turned to her and kissed her again.

He'd shown her the magic, yet again, and without the concern for their son and daughter who still lived at home, she'd been very vocal about the fact that the man knew her body like no other. His tongue still knew how to kiss her in all the right places, and the swivel of his hips as he took her to that place in the clouds that she saw every time they made love reminded her that she was very fortunate.

Jared and Jacob had come back to Forks for the summer. They were home, taking care of their brother and sister…well, mostly. Alice and Jasper had moved back to Forks after Jennifer, their daughter, had been born, and Alice was keeping up with the Masen kids which gave Edward and Bella enough of a comfort level to go off on their own.

They didn't go to Hawaii as they always had with the kids. They went to Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera. It was Bella's first time out of the country, except for a few camping trips in Canada the family had taken over the years, and she was enjoying herself more than she'd ever dreamed possible without her children.

They'd rented an apartment in Corniglia, and it was stunning. They'd gone to a small restaurant in the village for dinner, and Edward had played piano for her, which was something he'd never done before. She vowed that when they returned home, some of the empty space in their new expansion would be used to outfit a music room because his skills shouldn't have been kept a secret from her for so long. He'd messed around with an old acoustical guitar that his parents had sent him when they were cleaning out the condo to make room for Jared to take it over after he transferred from Northwestern to the University of Chicago, and Edward had begun teaching Garrett how to play. Bella loved watching them together.

"Yes, my dear husband, you've proven that you've still got it, and we won't be adding to our family in the process. I do believe that four children are quite enough, don't you?" she teased as she settled in at his side, just as she was prone to do after they made love.

"You know, I could have had a whole litter with you because you make it so easy, Bella, but I'm happy we stopped at four. The younger ones are getting old enough that maybe we can do more stuff like this, for which I'm happy, but we've still got life in the house. It got awfully quiet when Jacob and Jared went off to college," he commented.

She'd definitely noticed the quiet. Well, that was until Garrett and Charlie got into a screaming match, then it was almost like a stadium to her.

"Did Jake talk to you about considering entering the draft?" she asked apprehensively. Jacob had mentioned to her that he'd been approached by the Arizona Cardinals, but she'd been against it completely, reminding him that he was on scholarship and that an education was very important.

"He called me about it, and I told him I thought it was a bad idea. If he waits until next year after his senior year, he'll get a better offer if that's the way he wants to go. I'm not sure if I made my point, but when we get home, I'll take him for breakfast and talk to him again," Edward told her.

Bella turned on her stomach and rested her hands on his chest, feeling the muscle under his skin, and counting herself very lucky that he was hers. He was still the most handsome man she'd ever met in her life, and she could see him in their children. Garrett's reddish bronze hair and green eyes gave her a glimpse of how her husband must have looked as a young boy.

"Do you talk to them often? You never say. I talk to them a couple of times a week," she volunteered as he played with her hair as was his custom when the two partook of pillow talk.

"I talk to one or the other of them every day. Jake calls about school, and Jared calls about girls. You know, he transferred to U of C because Kim Vaughn goes there. I do believe that they're living together in Mom and Dad's condo, but he won't own up to it," Edward confessed. It was the first she'd heard of it.

"How the hell did she end up there?" Bella asked.

"They kept in touch, and she transferred there from UCLA. She's pre-med as well. He's doing really well, you know. Carlisle talks to him all the time and has set him up with a job at the hospital this summer. Paul Reed wasn't exactly thrilled about the fact that Jare wasn't going to work there this summer, but Carlisle told him that the experience would help him get into medical school.

"Now, Jake, on the other hand, is going to work for Rosalie again this summer. She told him that she's got a Mustang body that she'll help him rebuild if he's interested, and he's very interested," Edward told her. Again, it was the first she'd heard of any of it.

"Why don't they tell me these things?" she asked, trying not to feel hurt. The family had trekked to Tucson over the years to watch Jacob's games, and they were all proud of him. But, Bella didn't want him to short sell his education. She knew that eventually, his days as a star player would come to an end, and she wanted him to have something to fall back on and college was a must. That was her dream, and she'd push it on him every chance she got.

"Love, the one thing I'm grateful for is that our sons and I have always been able to talk. They don't like to tell you things that they fear will upset you, especially with Charlie and Garrett still at home. You just need to call them and not wait for them to call you. I don't wait. I don't give a shit what they're doing. They're my sons, and I want to know what they've got going on. You wait for them to call so you don't seem to be interfering. Go ahead and interfere. I think they're waiting for it," Edward coaxed. She laughed at his advice, but she took it seriously.

"You're a smart cookie," she teased as she kissed his chest and licked his nipple. For Edward Masen, that was all it took. He was on his wife like white on rice, and he didn't stop until she shrieked his name as his mouth once again brought her to climax.

"Remember I told you that I'd never get tired of that? Well, ten years and I'm still loving it," he told her as he lay on the bed and pulled her on top of him. He felt her sink down on his hard shaft and reminded himself that still, after four children, his wife was just as tight as the first time he'd ever made love to her.

In and out…up and down…kissing and sucking…gasps and groans…fulfillment and gratitude…the couple enjoyed themselves again. Sex could have become mechanical, as it did in many marriages, but Edward and Isabella Masen were determined that it wouldn't be that way for them.

They'd enjoyed many positions, even though some left them laughing in the middle of the bed because they just didn't work out the way they did in the copy of the _Kama Sutra_ that she'd given him for his birthday as a gag gift one year. The fact that they were both willing to try and neither had experienced any significant injuries as a result of their experimentation kept the couple interested in trying new things. Regardless of how they "did it," as Jared had mentioned many years before, at the end of the encounter, they were both satisfied. Life was wonderful.

##

"Carlie, you can't be pregnant…you're on the goddamn pill, or so you told me," Jacob snapped as he spoke on the phone with the girl he'd been dating since high school. They'd gone to U of A together, and they'd moved in together, but Jacob hadn't told his parents that he was living with a girl. When they were in Forks during breaks, they didn't see much of each other. As far as his parents knew, he lived with a guy named Carl, and no one seemed to suspect anything out of the ordinary.

The phone call while he was babysitting his brother and sister had been a surprise, and the tears he heard over the line had left him reeling. The news…oh he couldn't even comprehend it. He was going to be twenty-one in November, and he'd talked to his father about entering the NFL draft that summer. His mother had been dead set against the idea, but his father said that they'd talk about it when he and Bella returned from Italy, so Jacob wasn't concerned.

When his cell rang and it was Carlie, he'd answered because if she had some free time, he wouldn't mind sneaking away. He knew his cousin, Alice, would take care of his brother and sister if he asked, so he was looking forward to it. His twin brother was so busy working at the hospital that he couldn't count on Jared for back up.

"I didn't say I was _pregnant_. I said I was late. I know you remember the sinus infection I had in April, Jake. You didn't want to buy condoms, but even when I told you that the antibiotics would fuck with my pills, you didn't care. My guess is it was that night after you came home from that stupid frat party," she sniffled.

Jacob remembered being a bit bent that night, and when he crawled into bed with her, he vaguely remembered her telling him something about birth control, but he was too drunk to go buy condoms, and having been spoiled that they didn't need them, he'd just shifted to autopilot. That decision, albeit an alcohol-induced one, could have been the worst decision of his life.

"Look, take a fucking test, okay?" he snapped.

"I don't want to do it by myself," she replied tearfully.

He thought for a minute and decided that his sister and brother would go to bed within the hour, so he made a decision that he was sure his parents would not be happy about. "Fine. Stop at the store and pick up a test and come over. They go to bed by ten, so come over after that. You can spend the night and take the test. I'll be here, and we'll figure out what the fuck to do," he lamented.

"Hey, don't sound so happy about this," Carlie snapped at him.

"Oh, trust me, I'm not," he responded, hanging up and walking back into the living room to see his brother and sister lying on the floor as they watched a movie. The idea that he could have a child of his own had him spinning, and he really wanted to call his dad, but he knew that between the time difference and the news, it wasn't a good idea because he knew how disappointed his parents would be in him for being so irresponsible.

His grandfathers would chastise him for his carelessness.

His grandmothers would cry.

His aunt and uncle would over-analyze everything, and his brother was too busy to talk about anything other than work and school.

There was only one person who he thought he could talk to…his cousin, Alice…so he called her for support, but when he got her voicemail, he didn't leave a message. He'd never felt more alone in his life.

##

"Well, I don't see signs of life," Bella responded. They'd come home two days early because they missed their kids, but they'd had a great time. Neither had been against the idea of cutting the vacation short, so when they pulled into the driveway of their home, they were both happy, even though it was nearly midnight.

"Let's just go in. I'll unload the car tomorrow," Edward told her as he hopped out of the car, walking around to open the door for her as he always did. They chose not to park in the garage because they didn't want to open the door and make noise, so they snuck into the house and surveyed the damage.

"Well, it's not as bad as I thought," Bella remarked as she turned on the kitchen light finding only a few dishes in the sink. She flipped off the light and headed toward the stairs, leaving Edward behind to lock the house and come up to bed.

When he walked through the living room, he saw Jared asleep on the couch in scrubs, so he woke him because his neck was craned in a way that would leave it stiff the next day. "Jared, son, wake up and go to bed," Edward whispered as he shook the young man. When his eyes jolted open and focused, Edward saw the smile that he'd grown accustomed to over the years.

"Hey Dad. When'd you get home?" Jared whispered as he scrubbed his hands over his scruffy face. Edward could see that he was surprised to see them, and he smiled, happy to see his son.

"We landed at eight in Seattle, but we had to make the drive. Go to bed, son. Is Jake here?" Edward asked.

Jared chuckled, which gave Edward pause. "Oh, he's here alright, and he's got company, but you didn't hear that from me. I was working, so don't get pissed at me, okay? Talk to your oldest," Jared informed as he rose from the couch. He hugged his dad, and then crawled up the stairs to his room, happy to find his bed.

Edward decided that it was too late to mention anything to Bella, so he climbed the stairs and followed the familiar path to their bedroom. When he closed the door to their room, he saw that she was already in bed, and it made him smile.

After she fell asleep, he gently moved her off of him and pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, hearing noise coming from downstairs. As he passed the bedrooms, he saw that Jared's door was closed, but Jake's was open, so he quietly walked down the stairs and listened, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"You know, Jake, if I didn't love you, I'd say you were the most horrible person on the earth. I didn't intend for things to go this way either, but we need to figure shit out if the test comes back positive," Edward heard a feminine voice.

"Carlie, we have two choices. Either you get an abortion, or you give it up for adoption. My mom married my biological father when she got pregnant with Jare and me, and that didn't work out. She struggled for years, and I don't want that for us. I've got a career to look out for and you do too. We're too young to get married and have kids, okay?" Jacob responded coldly to the young woman which set Edward's blood to boil.

He walked into the kitchen and looked at his son and a young girl sitting at the table. She was in tears, and Jacob was unmoved by them. He couldn't hold his tongue.

"What the fuck did we ever do that made you so cold? You got this girl pregnant, and you're so willing to toss the baby aside? Seriously?" he remarked to his son, seeing him startle because he was sure that Jacob didn't know that they were home.

"Dad? When did you…um…this is Carlie," Jacob introduced.

"Carlie, I'm sorry that my son is so insensitive, but he wasn't raised that way," Edward snapped, walking to the refrigerator and pulling out the orange juice. He'd have preferred a bottle of bourbon, having heard that his son had gotten his girlfriend pregnant and was so callous about it, but orange juice was what he chose.

"Dad, it's not like that. I understand that this is a disaster, but neither of us wants a kid at this point in time, and we don't even know if she's pregnant or not. She can't take the test until in the morning," Jacob responded.

"You know, Jake, your mom could have made those same choices, but she didn't. You possibly created a child with this young woman, and you're going to walk away from it? Well, _we_ won't. Carlie, if you're pregnant and want to carry the baby to term, Bella and I will raise it. We take care of our own, Jacob," he chastised.

The young woman cried and ran up the stairs, but Jacob stayed at the table looking at Edward. He had a dazed look on his face, and Edward knew that he owed him an explanation, but he couldn't tell him the story he knew about when Bella was pregnant with the twins and had considered giving them up for adoption.

In his mind, Jacob would regret not knowing a child he'd fathered, no matter how undesirable the circumstances would be. He'd regret simply washing his hands of the situation, Edward was sure.

"Look, I know this seems hopeless right now, but it's not, really. You made a mistake. Okay, so we regroup, and your mom and I take your room and make it into a nursery. You'll regret it if she gets an abortion, Jacob, and if she gives the baby up for adoption? Well we'll all regret it. I could pummel you into the concrete right now for suggesting either option, but I know that you're freaking out so I'll give you a pass. Now, go upstairs and talk her into having the baby if she _is_ pregnant. Hell, I'll pay for the rest of her college if she has the baby," Edward promised.

"Why?" Jacob asked as he sat at the table looking at his father.

"Because, if that girl is carrying your baby, it's our grandchild, and it didn't ask to be born into this circumstance. Go to bed, and we'll talk about this in the morning after we know more," Edward told him.

Jacob nodded and left, leaving Edward alone in the kitchen that early morning. He sat and thought about the situation, and he knew in his heart that they were doing the right thing if the girl was, indeed, pregnant with Jacob's baby.

Maybe Jacob wasn't ready for a child, but giving it away wasn't something that Edward could comprehend. He and Bella weren't so old that they couldn't adopt it, and he was determined that he could talk his wife into it. In his mind, the Masens took care of family, even if it was unexpected.

##

"Mmmm…I smell bacon. Did you cook?" Bella asked as she turned over and shifted into Edward's body. He'd held her from behind all night, but when she woke, she loved to kiss his chest. It was something that they did, and it reminded her of how great her life was.

"I did not. I believe that might be Carlie, Jacob's girlfriend. Um, we need to have a talk. Alice picked up Charlie and Garrett and took them to her house for the morning, but I think I'll call her and see if she can keep them today. Jare is already off to work, so it's just the four of us. Let's change and go down," she heard Edward instruct quietly which gave her pause.

She had no idea that Jacob had a girl at the house, nor did she know that Charlie and Garrett weren't there. It pissed her off to no end that Jacob had taken the liberty to bring a girl into the house when he was supposed to be taking care of his impressionable sister and brother.

"So, now it's just a hotel? They bring girls home, and we just send the kids to Alice and Jasper's so that we don't have to interrupt the happy couple? That's not kosher, you know," she snapped as she dressed.

"Actually, I called Alice this morning and asked her to pick up Garrett and Charlie. I think for this conversation, it's the best case scenario. I'm going to cash in all of my favors and chits and anything else I have to beg you to keep your mouth shut until the whole story is told, okay?" he asked.

She looked at him and saw how nervous he was. "Oh, are you serious? You give me that lead in and ask me to keep my mouth shut? You really shouldn't have said that," she offered as she made the bed.

"Maybe, but this is a situation that's going to require cooler heads to prevail, and no offense, but you don't always have the coolest head, love," Edward chanced. He knew he was walking a razor's edge with pissing her off, but he knew that she needed to hear everything before she lost her temper.

"Oh, because _you_ always do? What's going on?" she asked as she slipped on a pair of flip flops and opened the bedroom door, hearing her son talking to a girl downstairs.

"Let's just…come on," Edward coaxed as he took her hand and led her downstairs.

When the couple entered the kitchen, they saw Jacob sitting at the table while a girl, who looked vaguely familiar to Bella, was at the stove cooking what appeared to be pancakes. "Hey, Ma! How was Italy?" Jake asked as he rose from the chair and walked over to hug her.

"Um, it was great. Who's your friend?" Bella asked, not taking her eyes off the young woman.

"Oh, um, Carlie Taylor, this is my ma, Bella Masen. Carlie and I go to U of A together," Jacob explained. Bella could see him nervously glancing at Edward, and she wondered even more about what was going on.

"Carlie, maybe just put those pancakes in the microwave to stay warm and have a seat. We need to have a talk," Edward demanded. Bella saw Jacob look at him and shake his head, "no," which led her to believe that something was definitely up.

"Someone better start talking," Bella threatened, seeing the girl nervously looking between her and Jacob.

"Well, I wanna talk to you guys about going to Phoenix for mini-camp. I know you don't want me to drop out of college, but I can always finish after football. I really want to enter the draft, and I'll gently remind you that I'm twenty years old, so really, it's my decision to make," Jacob announced.

Bella understood why Edward told her that cooler heads needed to prevail because they were going to have to talk like Dutch uncles to convince their son not to drop out of college. She bit her tongue because every fiber in her being wanted to scream, but she knew that Edward was right, it wouldn't get them anywhere.

With that thought in her head, imagine her surprise when Edward stood up from his chair so abruptly that it flipped into the floor. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me? Jacob Charles, you are _not_ going to drop out of school. You only have one more year, and then you'll have your bachelor's degree. You tell me what the fuck you'd do for a career if you'd get hurt first cat out of the sack?" Edward shrieked, causing Bella and Carlie to jump.

"Edward! What happened to cooler heads?" Bella asked.

"_This_ is not the discussion I thought we were going to have, so _this_ discussion doesn't require cooler heads. It requires a lot of yelling and maybe me kicking his ass if he throws this opportunity out the window.

"Jacob, you aren't making the best decisions these days, so I don't think you dropping out of college and going off half-cocked to maybe get drafted by a team is something you've actually given a lot of consideration. You have a goddamn scholarship. You've committed to the University of Arizona that you'll play for their football team in exchange for them providing you with a top-notch education. As we spoke about last night, we take commitments seriously in this family. We Masens do not walk away from commitments," Edward snapped.

"Yeah, well, I'm a Uley, and we got no problem walkin' away from anything," Jacob snapped back as he left the table and stormed up the stairs.

"I, uh, I think I should go," Carlie volunteered. Bella had actually forgotten that the girl was there, but she wanted to nip things in the bud before the girl left.

"That's probably for the best. Um, look, I realize that you're an adult and all, but this is our home, and we have two younger children who live here, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't make a habit of spending the night here when we aren't home. Actually, even if we are home, I don't think it's appropriate for you to be sleeping with my son under my roof," Bella instructed.

"Mrs. Masen, Jake and I live together," the girl informed her.

"You _what_!?" It was Bella's turn to yell. She saw Edward pick up the chair next to her and sit down, scrubbing his hands over his face.

"Um, Jake and I live together in Tucson. We've been together since high school. My best friend, Kim Vaughn, introduced us when we were sixteen. She and Jared live together in Chicago," the girl told her.

While Bella and Edward had discussed the fact that he suspected that Kim and Jared were living together, neither had wanted it actually confirmed. Now that the girl had not only confirmed the information but outted herself and Jacob in the process, Bella knew that she needed to talk to the boys and find out what else she didn't know.

After the girl left, Bella asked, "Did you know they're living together? Did you know that she was this elusive _Carl_ who he shared an apartment with?"

Edward looked at her, and she saw the pain in his eyes. She knew that Jacob's comment about being an Uley had gutted her loving husband, and all she could do was hug the man because in her opinion, he didn't deserve Jacob's harsh words.

As soon as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, he wrapped his around her waist and buried his face in her stomach. She felt his body shaking slightly, and she knew that he was crying, which made her angry all over again.

"Honey, he's just being stubborn. He didn't mean any of that, okay?" Bella asked as she scratched her nails on his scalp, trying to comfort him.

Edward wiped his face against her shirt and pulled away from her. "I've tried to be everything that I believed a father should be, but clearly I've failed. I'm going to…" he began and then he rose to go upstairs.

"Are you going to talk to him?" Bella asked as Edward started from the kitchen.

He stopped without turning to look at her and said, "He's an Uley. Let him call Sam." With that, he was up the stairs.

\\\

_**E/N: I'll just, um, be over there *pointing to small safe room*.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	29. Chapter 29

_**A/N: Thank you so much for sticking with me through this story! Thanks for rec'ing, reviewing, and supporting it! I truly appreciate each and every review. Give yourselves a big hug for me!**_

_**This is the last full chapter. The epi will post on Monday. I know… I can hear "End of the Road," by Boyz 2 Men in the background as well : )**_

_**Scorpio11 – Man, this one put you through your paces! Sorry for my errors, but thank you for making it a much better story to read.**_

_**SMeyer owns…I do not infringe.**_

_**\\\**_

29.

##

"God, do you know you could fuck up a wet dream?" Jared asked his brother when he called him during his lunch break to find out what their parents had said about Carlie being there that morning. After Jacob told him the whole story, he was so shocked at his brother's behavior he could hardly speak.

"Dude, don't _you_ start now. I've got Dad on my ass, and Mom is pissed off. I'm glad Carlie wasn't pregnant, but now Dad knows what a fuck-up I am, and he was so mad, he walked out. Mom's been sitting in the kitchen for an hour waitin' for him to come back. She won't even look my way," Jacob told him.

"I'm gonna ask you a question? Do you know why he left? Was it because you're so fuckin' stupid that you're gonna throw away a free ride in hopes of making an assload of money and having your ass on television? Or, was it because you were fucking stupid enough to say you're not a Masen, you're an Uley? That is one of the dumbest fucking things I think I've ever heard out of your mouth, and I've heard a lot of dumb shit out of your mouth, Jacob. How would you feel if he'd said that shit to you?" Jared asked, hoping his brother could see the error of his ways, but seriously doubting if he was having a light-bulb moment.

"_Fuck_," he heard Jacob groan. It was as he'd suspected…his brother had missed the big picture.

"After everything the man has done for us, including offering to talk Mom into raising your kid if you'd knocked up Carlie so you could have it in your life, you go and disrespect him? I swear to God, I don't think we were raised in the same house. You better go find him and fix this shit. I'll see if I can get out of here early, and I'll go with you to talk to him, but you really need to think some shit through, Jake. Bye," Jared instructed as he hung up the phone and slipped it into the pocket of his scrubs.

He hurried back to the admitting desk in the ER where he worked as an orderly, and checked the board, seeing his Uncle Carlisle was in Room 3. He walked to the room and knocked on the door, waiting for someone to acknowledge him. "In," he heard his uncle call.

He opened the door and walked inside, seeing his uncle holding a chart and speaking with Mrs. Cope who'd lived on Bennett Circle years ago. She'd moved into a nursing facility, and they'd lost track of her, but seeing how much she'd aged reminded Jared he took a lot of things for granted, and life didn't slow down for anyone.

"Dr. Cullen, um, is there anything I can help you with?" Jared asked.

Carlisle Cullen turned to look at him and smiled. "Jared, you remember Mrs. Cope. She used to live next door to you guys on Bennett Circle. She won't remember you because she's suffering from late stage dementia, but didn't you guys paint her cat years ago?" Carlisle reminded, causing Jared to laugh as he thought about the series of events that led the Uley family to meet the Masen family, namely the man who would become his father. _That_ memory reminded him of his purpose.

"Um, could I talk to you for a minute?" Jared asked.

"Sure. Mrs. Cope, I'll be right back, and we'll get you settled upstairs," Carlisle called loudly to the woman in the bed who appeared to be somewhere other than Exam Room 3.

When the pair walked outside the room and the door closed, Jared asked, "Is she okay?"

"Well, the nursing center is having trouble regulating her blood sugar, so I'm going to admit her and see if we can get a handle on it. Poor thing doesn't really know what's going on, but she's still very sweet about it. So, what can I do for you?" Carlisle explained.

"Um, well, there's been a blow-up at home between Jake and Dad, and I kinda feel like I need to go try to help smooth it over. Um, Dad actually left because Jake said somethin' stupid, and I'd like to try to find him because Jake says that Mom's sittin' in the kitchen crying. I can come back to make-up my time this afternoon," Jared offered.

"Oh, wow. Well, yeah, go ahead and take off. Don't worry about your time. Do I need to stop by when I'm finished here?" Carlisle asked.

Jared thought for a minute and decided it was really something that needed to be taken care of within the family. "No, I don't think so. We've always been able to work things out before, and I'm sure we'll figure it out," Jared responded. He turned to leave, and then had another thought. "Uncle C, he'll come back, right?" Jared asked.

Carlisle walked closer to him and put a reassuring hand on Jared's shoulder. "Your dad is one of the kindest, most easy-going people I've ever met. If he felt it was best to leave after the fight, he did it so that he didn't say something he'd regret later. I promise you, he'll come back. You might want to swing by our place and maybe check the diner," Carlisle suggested. Jared nodded and left.

He climbed into the Expedition Bella and Edward had sold him when they bought his mother a new car, and he drove passed the diner where their father took them to breakfast when he wanted to have father/son discussions. Just as he was about to turn toward home, he noticed his father's new Mercedes in the parking lot. He pulled into the lot and parked next to it, making his way inside.

He saw his dad sitting at their regular booth by himself, and Jared's heart sunk when he saw the look on his face. He walked over to the booth and waved at Maria, their regular waitress, and she smiled at him.

"So, Dad, what's with the disappearing act? Mom's sitting in the kitchen waiting for you to come home," Jared announced as the waitress brought a larger carafe of coffee and another cup for Jared.

"Shit. Well, I'll send her a text and let her know I'll be home after I eat. Aren't you supposed to be working?" Edward asked as he pulled out his phone. He sent a quick text, then tossed his phone on the table.

"I was, but I talked to Jake on my lunch break. Look, Dad, he's a douche a lot of the time. Hell, he's a selfish douche most of the time, but he didn't mean that shit he said about being an Uley, okay? He knows just as well as I do you love us, and you're just trying to keep him from fucking up his life," Jared informed, seeing his father look at him with pain on his face. It was a look he'd never seen before on Edward Masen, and he wanted to kick his brother's ass up and down Bennett Circle.

"Jared, I believe I've always treated you and Jacob as I've treated Charlie and Garrett. In my heart, you boys are as much mine as they are, and hell, you and Jake taught me how to be a good dad, which I think I am. I know that your brother isn't thinking clearly, and I know why, but I won't lie and say his words didn't hurt," Edward told him.

"Dad, he's just…hell, I don't know how to explain it, but he's as stubborn as a mule. Believe me…we both know how lucky we were when you and Mom got married. I'd say he was just freakin' out because he thought he'd knocked up Carlie, and he knew you'd be disappointed. Jake's way to handle shit is to lash out at people, and well, what's that old saying…we always hurt the ones we love?" Jared offered as Maria brought Edward his cheeseburger and fries.

Edward chuckled as he bit into his burger. When his cell phone chimed on the table, he picked it up and read the text, dropping his burger and reaching for his wallet.

"What's wrong?" Jared asked with concern.

"You're brother took off to Alaska to go see your…Sam. We need to get home. Your mom's beside herself," Edward called as he tossed the money on the table and quickly left the diner.

"That fucking idiot," Jared remarked to himself as he made his way to his SUV. He was _definitely_ going to kick his brother's ass up and down Bennett Circle as soon as he found him.

##

Jared sat down at the table with his mother who was clutching a piece of paper and crying. "Mom, you should have kicked his ass," Jared offered as he sipped a soda and ate a turkey sandwich his mother had made him after he'd showered.

"Honey, as much as I'd like to beat your brother senseless, this is a situation that requires a bit more finesse. You didn't have to take off, you know," she told him as she steeped a teabag in her mug, appearing to have calmed somewhat.

"Yeah, well, I agree with Dad that he's not thinking clearly after the pregnancy scare, but…" Jared started. By the look on her face, he knew he'd stepped in it but good.

"_Pregnancy scare?_ You mean he and Carlie thought… Shit. Nobody told me," she gasped.

"Sh…crap. Dad didn't tell you? Mom, don't get mad at him, okay? Jacob said that Carlie's not pregnant, but Dad said if she was, you guys would take the kid and raise it. He was tryin' to do the right thing," Jared explained, hoping he was somehow making it better.

"I'll try to be back tonight, but I can't guarantee it. I have no idea how this will go," Edward remarked as he walked into the kitchen.

Jared saw his mother stand up and wrap her arms around his father. When Edward looked at him for any explanation, Jared just shrugged. He'd been certain there would be an all-out war over the information he'd just overshared, but the fact that she was hugging his dad made him happy.

"Edward, I love you," Jared heard his mother whisper as she stood on her toes and kissed his father. He felt like he was intruding on their private moment, but he believed his exit from the kitchen would be more of a disruption than just keeping quiet.

"Bella, I love you, too. I'll try to talk some sense into him," Edward promised. With that, they left the kitchen, leaving Jared alone. He heard the front door close softly, and a minute later, his mother walked back into the kitchen, drying her eyes.

She sat down at the table and looked at him with a smirk. "So, you and Kim are living together in Chicago?" she challenged, catching him off guard. He'd always been vague with his father when the question came up, but he could tell his time was up.

He let out a heavy breath. "Yeah, we are. I love her, Mom," he responded honestly. He saw the smile on her face, and when she rose from her chair, walked around the table, and hugged him, he was shocked. He'd expected the hellcat he'd experienced over the years.

"Your grandma Liza told me I'd see that look on your face one day. I don't know that I believed her then, but now that I've seen it, I'm happy. So, tell me about it," Bella remarked.

The relief Jared Masen felt down to his bones allowed him to tell his mother about his life in Chicago. It was something he'd ached to share with her, and finally being able to explain things to her allowed his heart to soar. He was grateful he wasn't carrying the secret any longer. It was time she knew how much Kim meant to him.

##

Jacob pulled up to the small house in La Push where Ida and Harold Uley lived. He hadn't seen his biological grandparents in years…well, since their son had abandoned him and his brother, and he was looking for answers. He hadn't told his mother he was going to see them, but when he left the house, he saw she was still in the kitchen waiting for his father to return, and the tears were still falling. He knew it was his fault, but he couldn't comfort her.

After his discussion with Jared, he knew he needed some answers regarding why he felt the way he did about the almost pregnancy and the subsequent fight he'd had with his father when he'd tossed out the idea of entering the NFL draft and dropping out of college.

He knew it was irrational, but he felt like things were out of control, and he needed to get some of it back. He'd said awful things to the man who'd adopted him, and as he sat in the driveway staring at the small house, he knew the question that haunted him for years needed an answer: Why had Sam Uley so callously tossed him and his brother aside?

He slowly walked onto the porch and knocked. He only wanted to know how to find the man who had fathered him, and the only way he knew to do so was to talk to Sam's parents.

A small, old woman came to the door and looked at him blankly. "Yeah?" she asked. Jacob could tell she didn't recognize him at all.

"Good afternoon. I was wondering if you could tell me how to get in touch with your son, Sam," Jacob asked, waiting to see any hint of recognition in the woman's eyes.

"Sam? Oh, Sam doesn't live here. He's in Nome," the woman told him flatly.

"Uh, yeah, I know, but do you have a phone number I could call or an address?" Jacob asked.

"Who is it?" Jacob heard from inside the house.

"Some man lookin' for Samuel. Why do you need to talk to Sam?" she asked.

Just then, a man walked up behind the woman. Jacob recognized him as Sam's father, Harold, but the man didn't seem as daunting to the twenty-year old as he had to the eleven-year-old boy.

"Who you?" Harold asked. Jacob didn't see any recognition on his face either.

"I'm a…uh…I used to know Sam, and I'd like to get in touch with him. You know, just to see how he's doing. I was friends with his two older boys," Jacob lied.

"Older boys? Sam only has two girls. Leah and Susie. He don't have any boys," Ida replied.

Jacob felt the same stabbing pain he'd felt years ago when his biological father had told Edward and his mother he'd give them up. It was no easier to deal with.

"He had boys at one point. He was married to Bella Swan, and he had twin boys, Jacob and Jared," Jacob responded.

The couple looked at each other, and the man pushed the small woman behind him. Jacob towered over him, which once again reminded him how he didn't really remember the one-week-a-year that he and Jared spent with them. How they could have completely forgotten them, Jacob didn't know.

"I think your mistaken, son. Now, you'd better go before we call the police. You're trespassing," the man announced. Jacob was taken aback for a minute. Then, he just got pissed.

"Harold, I know that Sam had older sons because I'm one of them. I'm Jacob, and I'd like to find my father," he announced, seeing the look of surprise on their faces.

"Oh. Where've you been? Your mother took you away a long time ago, and your dad tried to find you," Ida informed.

"_No_, my mom didn't take us anywhere. Sam gave us up. He signed over his rights to us, and someone else adopted us. I want to talk to him. Can you just give me an address?" Jacob asked.

Ida walked away, leaving him and Harold together at the front door. The man was eyeing him skeptically, but Jacob didn't feel the need to make small talk. They hadn't welcomed him with any kindness whatsoever, so he felt no need to be cordial in return.

Ida returned with a piece of paper and handed it to him. "Here. Whatever the problem you have with your dad, we're not involved. Your mom made his life a living hell with all of her demands for money, and he had no choice when that man threatened him," Ida volunteered.

"That's not what happened at all. Sam quit paying her child support, and when our house burned down, the man who eventually adopted us took us in and took care of us. Sam walked away willingly, and I wanna know why. Don't worry, I won't be back," Jacob announced as he grabbed the paper and left.

He drove home and packed a bag, having booked himself a roundtrip ticket to Nome, and he left a note for his mother that he was going to talk to Sam. She wasn't in the kitchen when he left, so he didn't have to answer her questions about why which made him happy. He didn't really know why.

He drove to Seattle and boarded the flight to Nome, Alaska. When he arrived, he caught a cab to take him to the address Ida had given him, and when it pulled up in front of the house, he was surprised.

It was a large log house. There was a SUV in the driveway, a few bikes by the garage, and a swing set on the front yard. "Hey, you got a card? I'll call you when I'm ready to leave," Jacob called to the driver. The guy handed him a card with his number and Jacob paid him the fare.

After the cab drove away, he picked up his duffel, wondering why he'd bothered to bring clothes because he knew if he got any answers whatsoever, he'd get on the next flight home. He needed to talk to Edward, his real dad, and he needed to do it soon.

He walked up on the porch and knocked on the door, having deposited his bag out of sight behind a bush in the yard. When two little girls came to the door with big smiles and dark eyes, he knew he was looking at the two sisters he'd never met. "Hi," one called to him.

"Um, hi. Is your dad or mom here?" he asked. Just then, he heard, "I told you not to open…oh, um, hello. Can I help you?" the woman he remembered as Emily asked. She looked older and much more haggard than his mother, but she still had kind eyes.

"Hi, Emily. Is Sam here?" Jacob asked, seeing recognition settle. He also saw a scar on her face he didn't remember being there when they'd seen her over summers after she and their father had married.

"Oh, Jacob. Honey, come in. Girls, go back to the kitchen and clean up the table. Dinner's almost ready," Emily announced. Once the girls were gone, she motioned him inside and closed the door.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"I don't want to barge in. I'm fine," he replied, feeling self-conscious.

"No, now, come on. You're here, and I have more than enough. After we eat, I'll send the girls to their rooms, and we can talk. Look, um, they don't know about you and Jared, and in light of things that have happened recently, right now isn't the time to tell them," Emily informed. He nodded and followed her into the kitchen, seeing it was quite nice with new appliances and countertops much like they had at his home.

They made small talk regarding Jacob and Jared's college endeavors, jobs, and everything else in their lives. Emily had told the girls that he was a friend of the family, and they bought into it easily. After dinner, he helped Emily clear the dishes, and after the girls left the two of them alone in the kitchen, Emily grabbed two beers from the fridge and sat down to face him.

"So, Jacob, what brings you here after all these years?" Emily asked him. He took a hearty swig of the beer and noticed it was nearly 6:00 PM, so he knew that if he was going to get a flight back to Seattle and get home at a decent hour, he needed to make quick work of it and get on the road.

"I came here to ask Sam why he gave us away," Jacob replied, seeing the shock on her face at his blunt phrasing.

"Oh. Um, Jacob, I wish I had a clear-cut answer for you. Hell, I wish I had a clear-cut answer for Leah and Susie. Sam took off a couple weeks ago, and we haven't heard from him since. I have no idea where he is or why he left, but he just packed his shit and left while I was at work. He's not the man I thought he was, and he didn't have any problem leaving his daughters behind," Emily remarked.

"_Oh_, he didn't have _any_ problem leaving us behind either," Jacob commented harshly.

"You know, I tried to reason with him about that, but he just…well, he's troubled. No, bullshit on that. He's an alcoholic, and I'd venture a guess the kindest thing he ever did for you and your brother was give you up so someone else could take care of you. He's a mean drunk. My girls and I have had to bear the brunt of it, but he's gone now, and I'm not sorry about it at all. How is…," she began just as there was a knock at the door.

"I'll be right back," she called as Jacob finished his beer. He heard her say, "May I help you?"

As he sat in the kitchen alone, he heard the familiar voice he'd heard for years, and it brought tears to his eyes. "I'm Edward Masen. Is my _son_ here?"

Jacob rose from the table and rushed to the only father he'd really ever known, and he cried. As Edward embraced him, Jacob knew exactly what a disservice he'd done to the man. "Dad, I'm so…" he began.

"Shh. You didn't do anything _that_ wrong, okay? It was just a stupid fight, and that shit happens. You can't take off on us, okay? Your mom is sick with worry, and you need to call her and tell her you're okay. Jake, you know I love you, and even though I didn't appreciate what you said, I know you didn't mean it, okay? I know you were freaking out because of the other thing, and it's a confusing time, but you have family who loves you and you owe us some consideration, okay, son?" Edward told him.

Jake nodded and pulled back, drying his eyes and looking at a stunned Emily standing there, not quite sure what to do under the circumstances.

"Emily, this is my dad, Edward Masen. Dad, this is Sam's wife, Emily. Apparently, he's taken off on her like he did us," Jacob advised.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your situation, but it's nice to meet you," Edward replied, extending his hand. Emily shook it and smiled.

"I'm so happy Jake and Jared have a man like you in their lives. I always cared about them, and I can say while it was harsh of Sam to give them up, they've had a better life with you than he'd have ever provided because his shelf life is just about ten years. My daughters, well, they don't know why he left, but the way he was at the end, I'm actually glad he did," Emily volunteered, unconsciously touching the scar on her cheek.

Jacob felt sorry for the little girls, but he knew he and Jared had fared so much better with the path their lives had taken, and while he had no idea why Sam Uley had given them up, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt his _dad_, the man who had adopted them, showing them only unconditional love, was truly meant to be the dad the two boys needed. With that realization, he determined it was the only answer he needed.

Just then, the two little girls came into the living room with shy smiles on their faces. "Who are you?" the taller one asked.

"Um, I'm Edward. I'm Jacob's dad. What's your name, beautiful?" Edward asked.

"I'm Leah and this is Susie. Do you wanna have a tea party?" the little girl asked. Emily laughed.

"Girls, Mr. Masen and Jacob probably need to get going because they've got a long flight back to Seattle. Mr. Masen, are you hungry? We just finished dinner, but there's leftover casserole," Emily offered.

"Oh, Mrs. Uley, thank you, but Jake and I need to get to the airport. I'd like to talk to you in private for a moment, if that's okay," Edward remarked. Emily nodded and lead him into the kitchen.

Jacob stooped down and looked at the girls who were his half-sisters. "So, do you play soccer or baseball?" he asked, thinking of his little sister, Charlie, and how athletic she was.

"No. Do you?" the smaller girl, Susie, asked.

"I played soccer and football in high school. I'm in college now, and I play football. I have a little sister a bit younger than you, and she plays soccer and baseball," Jacob volunteered.

"You look like Daddy," Susie remarked, giving Jacob pause. He knew Emily didn't want them to know he was their brother, and he had to respect her wishes, but he longed to tell the truth.

Instead, he hedged. "Well, you look like your mom," he replied with a smile.

"'Cept we don't have a scar. Momma fell and cut her face. Is your momma pretty?" Susie asked.

Jacob pulled out his wallet and produced a family picture they'd had taken years earlier. It was Christmastime, and they were dressed in holiday attire. He showed it to the girls, and pointed to his mother. "That's my ma, Bella, and my brother, Jared, and that's Dad," he explained.

"She's pretty. He looks like you," Leah commented, pointing at Jared. He looked at the photo and saw how happy the family looked which reminded him he needed to call his mother.

"We're twins. Um, I need to call my ma. I'll be right back," he replied, rising from the floor and stepping out onto the front porch.

He dialed the house phone, and heard his mother's voice, "Jacob Charles, where the hell are you?"

He laughed because it was so much like her. "Ma, I'm with Dad. We're getting ready to go to the airport. I'm sorry about everything, and I'll make it up to you, I promise," he told her.

"Jacob, you don't have to make anything up to me. You just need to come home," Bella told him in a shaky voice.

"We'll be home soon. I love you, Ma," he called over the line, feeling the tears again, which pissed him off.

"I love you, too, son," she responded. That was really all Jacob Masen needed to know. It no longer mattered why Sam Uley had abandoned him and his brother. The thing that mattered most was that his dad, Edward Masen, had come to Alaska to bring him home. It spoke volumes to him and made him more grateful than he'd ever been in his entire life.

##

Edward followed Emily Uley into her kitchen. He knew that he owed the woman an explanation for showing up at her home unannounced, and he wanted to secure a promise from her, if it was possible.

"Mrs. Uley, I'm sorry to show up here unannounced, but Jacob didn't tell us ahead of time that he was coming here. He left a note, and well, he's my son and I needed…" he began. She held up her hand for him to stop.

"Mr. Masen, you owe me no explanation. Jake told me why he came, and I'm sorry to report that I have no answers for him, but I don't actually think he needs them anymore. Whatever dispute you had at home…and I'm sorry for overhearing the conversation…I think it's moot now. He knows where he stands with you, and I think that's more important to him than anything he could find out here," she offered with a soft smile.

Edward nodded in agreement. "Yes, well, regardless of how old they get, they're still your kids. I wondered if perhaps there would be any way we could stay in touch? I don't mean on a regular basis, but I think Jacob and Jared should have the opportunity to get to know their sisters someday. I mean, if you're up for it," he offered.

He saw her ponder his suggestion before she walked to a drawer and pulled out a pad, writing something on it and handing a piece of paper to him. "After the dust settles, I'd say six months, give me a call, and we'll see what we can do.

"Right now, with the turmoil of Sam disappearing, I just think it's too much for the girls to know Jacob is their brother, but some day, I'd like for them to know him and Jared. You've raised a remarkable son, Mr. Masen, and I'm certain Jared is the same. Please, call me in a few months and we'll assess, okay?" she replied.

"Sure. Mrs. Uley, please don't get offended, but do you need anything? Are you and girls okay?" he asked quietly, hearing Jacob talking to the little girls in the hallway.

The woman smiled at him, rose up on her toes, and kissed his cheek. "I truly hope and pray there's an Edward Masen in my future. We're fine, but thank you for your offer. Now, do you need a ride to the airport?" she asked.

"Thank you, but I rented a car. Thank you for treating him so kindly. He's been through a lot lately, and well, I'm sure it meant a lot to him to at least meet his sisters," Edward whispered.

"No, it meant a lot to me to see what a wonderful young man he's become. I look forward to hearing from you," Emily replied as she led him back to the hallway.

"Jake, we'd better hit the road. Young ladies, maybe sometime in the future we can have that tea party because my daughter, Charlotte, isn't exactly the kind of girl to play tea party. Take care of your mother. She's a wonderful woman," Edward told them as he shook their little hands, seeing them smile and giggle as he wiggled their arms.

Jacob kissed Emily good-bye on the cheek, hugged the girls, and once they were outside, he grabbed his duffel bag. "Okay, Dad, let's go home," Jacob said as he climbed into the rental. Edward smiled because it rolled off his tongue so naturally, and in that moment, he knew things would be okay.

Over the years, there hadn't been too many instances in Edward Masen's life where he'd had an altercation with his older sons, and he hoped they were few and far between in the future. As the two of them drove back to the airport with the radio playing quietly in the background, Edward thought about the circumstances that had brought him to this point in his life.

When he'd met Jacob and Jared Uley, though unofficially, they'd egged his car in an effort to slow him down in the neighborhood. At the time, he didn't know that, but after the explanations they'd given him for their behavior on Bennett Circle, he thought the boys were special.

Over the years that he'd been married to their mother and after the adoption, he'd realized just how special they actually were. They weren't actually bandits, or felons, or vandals. At the time, they were two young boys who saw problems and figured out how to handle them, however unconventional their efforts might have seemed.

If anyone had asked him what the future held for him that weekend he'd stayed at Bella Uley's home to assist her after she fractured her shoulder, he'd have said he was just helping a neighbor.

In reality, he was getting to know an incredible woman who had two equally incredible sons. When the smoke cleared, he'd fallen in love with Bella and her boys, and he knew his life had changed forever.

Looking back on it, and thinking about his other three children who were home waiting for him to bring their big brother back, he knew what a charmed life the Masen family had.

Emily Uley made him realize life wasn't always roses and rainbows. There were a lot of shitty people out there who didn't give a damn how their behavior affected others, but he knew in his heart he'd helped Bella raise their children with a sense of responsibility and compassion for their fellow man. He'd seen it with Jacob talking to the two little girls who didn't know he was their brother, and the fact he didn't tip them off told Edward that his son actually _got_ it.

In his life, he'd never been prouder of any of his children than he was of Jacob that evening, and he knew the future would only hold more moments like it.

He knew when Jacob graduated from college…because he was going to graduate from college if Edward had any say in the matter…he'd stand in the crowd and hoot and holler for his son just as any other father in the crowd.

He knew when Jared graduated from undergrad and then medical school, he'd do the same thing, and he'd support Jared every step of the way as he embarked upon his residency.

And when Charlie and Garrett figured out what they wanted to do with their lives, he'd support them regardless, and he knew in his heart the woman to whom he'd been married for years would stand by his side, hold his hand, and let him know they'd made the right decisions together.

He laughed to himself when he thought about a pink and green cat and a ladder that had brought them all together. The Bandits of Bennett Circle hadn't been bandits at all. They'd been the key to the most incredible life Edward Masen could have ever imagined, and as he drove to the airport in Nome, Alaska, he could only smile. His life had been incredible, and no one…absolutely no one…would ever tell him otherwise.

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_**E/N: *sniff, sniff* I hope it lived up to your expectations. As many of you mentioned in your reviews, it would be highly unlikely that something major wouldn't have happened between Edward and at least one of the boys, under the circumstances. Hope you like how I resolved it.**_

_**Thanks for reading. I look forward to hearing from you.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	30. Chapter 30

_**A/N: So, here we are at the end, and I want to thank you, one last time, for your support, reviews, and recommendations of this story! I'm truly humbled by all of it, and imagine my surprise that we've reach the 800 mark! The most I've received for any of my stories! Thank you!**_

_**Scorpio 11 beta'd this one and made it smoother than I ever could. I'm sure she cringed when she received some of the chapters, but at the end of it, it's a better story because of her assistance. Thank you, S!**_

_**SMeyer owns all. I only borrowed them, and will return them after this chapter posts : )**_

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30. EPILOGUE

##

"Oh my gosh! Look who it is!" Maria called as the large group made their way into Essie's Diner on a bright Wednesday morning between Christmas and New Year's.

"You didn't believe me when I told you the whole group was coming home for Christmas," Edward chided her with a laugh in his voice. He was so happy to have all of his family around for the holidays. It hadn't happened in five years because of everyone's schedules, but finally, all the stars had aligned and everyone was home.

"Give me a hug, you rascals," Maria demanded from Jacob, Jared, and Garrett. Each of them hugged the older woman, and then she looked down at the three little boys who were standing next to Edward looking quite shy.

"So, who might you be?" she asked as she bent over and looked at the three of them. She laughed when the taller one stuck out his hand.

"My name is Teddy. I'm five," he introduced himself. She shook his hand and looked at Edward, seeing a smile on his face.

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Teddy. Who are these other two characters?" she asked.

"That's my cousin EJ and my other cousin Carl," Teddy introduced. Maria shook their hands and then proceeded to move tables together so that she could seat the large group.

"So, Edward, you have three grandsons at the ripe old age of…?" the woman teased.

"Actually, I have three grandsons and two granddaughters. The girls were doing something else today, but I'll bring them in before everyone leaves. Teddy is Jared's son, and he has a two year old sister, Liza. They were named after my parents. These two guys are four and two, and they have a six-month old sister, Lisa. They're Jake's. Since he retired from the Cardinals and moved to Seattle to work for the Seahawks, he's been a busy guy," Edward joked, causing the other adults to laugh with him.

"I'll be right back with your coffee. Garrett, do you want tea instead?" Maria asked to which he nodded in agreement. She remembered how Edward used to bring him into the diner on weekends when he was a little boy. It was as if he'd grown up before her very eyes, and as she studied him, she could see he was the spitting image of his father. The young man even carried himself like his father, as did Jared and Jacob. She deduced the family had a special bond, and she felt privileged to have gotten to know them over the years.

While the Masen family had grown with the addition of five grandchildren and two daughters-in-law over the last ten years, not to mention the fact that they'd taken on another family, they had also suffered some losses.

Edward's parents, Liza and Ted, had passed away within months of each other the year Jared and Kim Vaughn graduated medical school and got married. The family had taken their loss hard, but they knew that the elder Masens had lived a full life, so instead of mourning their losses, they celebrated their lives.

Bella's father had retired from the force, but continued to consult with them from time to time. Her mother, Renee, was still teaching school at Forks Elementary. She told everyone that continuing to teach would be the only thing that would keep the Swans from getting divorced.

Carlisle and Esme had decided to take a page out of Liza and Ted's book and split their time between London and Forks after Carlisle retired from practice. Alice and Jasper still lived in Forks, and they worked together at their design firm. They'd only had one child, Jennifer, but they didn't seem unhappy about it. Alice teased that Edward and Bella made up for the fact she'd only had one child by having a brood, and as Edward looked around at his three sons, three grandsons…at the ripe old age of forty-one…he tended to agree with her.

When Carlisle had contemplated retiring, he made a phone call for which Bella and Edward would always be grateful. It was the end of June, and he knew the details would take time but he had a timeframe in his head so the sooner he had an answer, the better for him and Esme.

"_Hey, Uncle C," Jared called over the line, happy to hear from his uncle. He and Kim lived in Chicago and were finishing up their residencies. Kim was due to have their second child any day, and Jared was sure it was just his uncle checking to see how she was doing._

"_Jare. How's Kim? Any word yet?" Carlisle asked._

"_She's dilated to two, and she's like a rabid hyena. If that poor baby doesn't make an appearance soon, I'm afraid Kim's going to kill me in my sleep. Teddy, get the heck down," Jared chastised, seeing his three-year old climbing onto the glass coffee table. He knew if his wife witnessed the latest antics of his son, he'd be blamed, and with her behavior of late, he was certain her wrath wouldn't come without bodily harm._

_Carlisle laughed over the line, remembering how rambunctious his great nephew was. He knew Bella and Edward were missing out on their grandchildren's lives, and it was the reason he'd made the call. _

_Jacob had retired from football after a shoulder injury, and he and Carlie had moved back to Seattle, spending a lot of time in Forks on weekends. The only member missing from the family was Jared, and Carlisle hoped he had the opportunity to remedy the situation._

"_Well, you know, babies come along when they're good and ready. So, are you going to stay on at Presbyterian, or are you looking at other options?" Carlisle asked._

"_I've been so preoccupied with getting everything ready for the baby I haven't really thought about it. Kim's going to take a year off after the baby comes, and then she'll start looking for something. I guess I'll just stay on at Presbyterian," Jared replied._

"_Actually, I've got a proposition for you. I'd like you and Kim to take over my practice. Your Aunt Es wants me to retire, and I want you and Kim to take over the practice. I can't think of two better people to take care of my patients, and you know how to get along with the office manager," Carlisle teased as he referred to Bella, who ran the practice after Gail had retired._

"_Uncle C, when are you looking to retire?" Jared asked. He wasn't sure his wife would go along with it, but the idea intrigued him._

"_Six months. After the holidays, Aunt Es and I are going to London for six months. We're taking over Ted and Liza's flat, and we'd both feel better if you and Kim took over the practice. You two are really the only people I'd trust with it, so please, think about it," Carlisle urged._

_In October of that year, Jared, Kim, Teddy, and a three-month old Liza, moved back to Forks, Washington, having sold the condo in Chicago that Ted and Liza had given them as a wedding gift. They stayed with Carlisle and Esme, and when the couple left for London in January, they sold the house to Jared and Kim with Alice's blessing. _

"So, Jake, how's the team? How'd you get out of going to DC?" Edward asked as he passed a cup of coffee to his oldest son.

"I told 'em I've missed too many Christmases with my whole family, and I threatened to quit," Jacob responded, causing laughter to erupt at the table.

"You always did have a way of solving problems," Edward teased, remembering that pink and green cat.

Just then, his oldest grandson climbed down from his booster seat and walked over to where Edward was sitting, tugging on his arm. Edward scooted back from the table and the little boy climbed up on his lap. "What can I do for you, Theodore?" Edward asked.

The little boy cupped his hand and whispered, "Grandpop, tell Daddy that I's old enough for a four-wheeler." Edward laughed. He'd heard from Jared that Teddy wanted a four-wheeler because Mack and Rosalie had bought their youngest son, Jonathan, a four-wheeler for his sixteenth birthday. Jared allowed Jon to take Teddy for a ride once at a family barbecue back in the summer, and it was all the kid talked about.

"Teddy, let me tell you a secret. I haven't been able to tell your dad or your uncle what to do for a very long time. Uncle Garrett still has to listen to me, but these other two numbskulls quit listening to me a long time ago," Edward replied with a smile for his grandson.

"_Bullshit,"_ Jacob coughed behind his fist, causing Jared and Garrett to laugh.

"Might I remind you of the trip you and Mom made to Chicago when Liza was born," Jared reminded. Edward laughed, remembering the trip.

"_Dad, she's gorgeous. Kim was in labor for a day- and- a-half, but she's finally here. Can you and Mom come out?" Jared asked when he called at three o'clock in the morning on the Fourth of July._

"_We'll be there sometime tomorrow," Edward responded without hesitation. He rose from the bed and booked four flights to Chicago, and the Masen family arrived at the hospital in Chicago at 5:00 PM that very afternoon._

"_She's a beauty. You're in trouble," Edward told his son as they stood at the nursery window looking at the beautiful little girl dressed in pink from head to toe._

"_Just like you with Charlie," Jared reminded. Edward laughed. His daughter was in high school, and the young men who called his house on a regular basis overwhelmed him. Bella kept him in check, just as she always had, but he didn't like the attention his gorgeous daughter garnered from the male population attending her high school._

"_God, don't remind me. So, have you had a chance to think about Carlisle's offer?" Edward asked. Carlisle had told Bella of his plan, making her promise not to pressure Jared into any decision. When she returned home that night, she told Edward of the plan, and determined that while she'd promised not to pressure their son, Edward had made no such promise._

"_In one respect, it's an intriguing offer, but I'm not sure if I'm cut out for private practice like Uncle C. Forks Hospital is a lot quieter than Presbyterian," Jared answered._

_Edward thought for a minute. "Oh, no doubt, but let me just toss this out there. You've got two children and your wife is a doctor as well. How much time do you want to be able to spend with your kids? Trust me when I tell you, son, they grow up very fast. I have a hard time accepting that you've given us two grandchildren and your brother's got one and another one on the way. No pressure, but your mom and I really miss having you guys around," Edward explained hopefully._

"Ted, Grandpop is the one who talked me into moving back here and taking over Uncle C's practice, and he got Jake the job with the Seahawks, if we're all being honest. Maybe he doesn't come right out and tell us what to do, but he should have been a lawyer because he has a very persuasive way about him," Jared informed. "And you're too young for a four wheeler."

The adults laughed as breakfast was served, and when they all returned to the house on Bennett Circle, they found the women busy hanging new curtains Bella had bought for the living room.

"Here you are," she called to the male contingent of her family.

"Yes, love, for once, we're all here," Edward responded with a kiss to her neck and a squeeze of her ass, causing her to giggle.

"God, you two are inappropriate," Jacob teased and he picked up his new daughter from the bouncy seat in which she was resting.

Leah and Susie Uley laughed along with Charlotte and the other women in the room. Over time, the Masen family had forged a relationship with the Uley family, and that Christmas, Leah and Susie were spending the holiday with their brothers because their mother had finally found her "Edward Masen," and she was on her honeymoon.

When Bella heard Emily's assessment of Quil Ateara, a banker Emily had met when she went to refinance her house, Bella had laughed. As strange as it was, Bella and Emily had forged a friendship, likely built on loss, but a good friendship nonetheless.

The first interaction with Emily and the girls had been tense, but Edward had paid their way to Forks, so Bella didn't complain knowing her sons were looking forward to spending time with their other sisters.

What no one in the family anticipated was that Charlotte would take to the girls so much and turn them into baseball fans, just like her and her father. It had taken everyone by surprise when the Uleys began spending the holidays in Forks to be with the Masen family, but even with the very unconventional way the families had come together, Bella and Edward had taken it in stride.

The third year Emily and the girls came to visit, Bella and Edward finally talked them into staying at the house. After that, the girls came to visit without their mom a few times, and when they'd graduated from high school, Bella, Edward, and their clan had gone to Nome for the ceremony.

Since then, Leah and Susie were regular fixtures, even though they were in college in Anchorage, and no one in the family thought anything about the fact that they were the offspring of a man who wasn't ever mentioned in the house at Bennett Circle. Family was family, however it materialized.

"Maybe, but you guys obviously picked up something along the way," Edward teased as he pointed to the five younger Masens who were dragging out toys from the large tub in the corner that Bella kept for them.

"Yeah, clearly we picked up the horny gene from you, Dad," Jacob told him as he sat on the couch and held his daughter.

"Trust me, it will serve you well for the rest of your lives," Edward replied to his older sons as he sat down and took the baby from Jacob's arms.

"Alright, grandchildren, gather round and let Grandpop tell you stories about your dads," Edward announced. Jacob and Jared both groaned, but when the kids all sat down on the floor to look at their grandfather, the twins, their wives, Charlotte, Garrett, Leah and Susie followed suit.

"I met your dads when they were eleven-year's old. They threw raw eggs at my car as I drove down this very street to this very house," Edward began with a smile on his face. He looked forward to telling his grandchildren the stories for many years to come.

He had no idea back when he met Bella and the twins that he'd enjoy such a large family, but as he looked around the room, he knew he couldn't have planned it any better.

THE END

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_**E/N: So, I know it's short, but there it is, tied up in a bright, pink and green bow in honor of Pablo, Mrs. Cope's cat, who played a key role in getting this whole thing started! I hope to hear from you!**_

_**Thanks so much for reading.**_

_**For the last time…xoxo**_


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